But what if animals did walk?
by Computerfan
Summary: Louis is new in Honevray, a friendly animal town in the middle of nowhere. After a strange series of events, two residents are captured in a cave. Just who captured them? Investigation into that question ends in tragedy... will Honevray be the same again?
1. The Unusual Bus Journey

Hello... and welcome to chapter one of my popular fanfic, 'But what if animals did walk?' =)

As you can see by the number of reviews compared to everything else on this part of the site... this thing's fairly well read. xD Basically, it's a twist on the typical 'Human moves to town, makes lots of friends' storyline. It's like a soap opera, I suppose... but anyway, the first 18 chapters or whatever take some time to get into, and focus around Louis arriving in Honevray and meeting everyone. Chapter 1 itself... Louis catches the wrong bus, and finds himself sitting next to the least expected of things...

I love getting reviews! So please, please review... My favourites are the long ones which talk about what's happening, give their ideas for what they think will happen, talk about the characters and so on. So don't be afraid to give me a review. CC is also greatly welcomed, so feel free! And eh, flamers go ahead. I get enough positive comments as it is... so obviously, one flamer's not going to make me cry in a corner and give up writing forever.

Anyway, won't interrupt anymore... enjoy.

The Unusual Bus Journey

Splash. Splash. Splash. Crunch. Splash. Splash. Splash. Crunch.

It was rather mesmerising listening to my own footsteps, wondering what tiny ecosystem I may have just destroyed every time my foot hit the ground. I didn't think it was nice for tiny bugs to have giant feet invading their home, and I wondered how many of the tiny creatures I had destroyed in my sixteen years of walking the earth.

Not that I liked bugs. At all. But still, it was interesting to think about how much the human population has destroyed the life of so many creatures, and feel no guilt. Animals have lives too, they were just made to be different from us, and humans took the opportunity to rise above them all as the 'owners'.

But what if animals did walk about like us, talking, thinking like us? What if they were seen as equal, able to wear clothes, own houses, everything else that humans are, for some reason, able to do? But despite my imagination of this happening, it could never happen, because that was the way the world worked.

Splash. Splash. Splash. Crunch.

And so my footsteps on the wet pavement brought me back to reality, and I remembered why I was even walking along this wet, lonely path. The simple answer? To catch a bus. The long answer? To catch a bus to go somewhere... No, sorry, bad joke there. To catch a bus to go home, a small town several hours away.

It was pouring down with rain, which might explain where the splashes from my footsteps came from. I was also walking through a wood, in the middle of autumn, meaning that several twigs and branches littered the path, explaining the occasional crunch. It was a short walk to the bus station, and one that should cause no excitement whatsoever.

And it didn't.

Nope. Instead, I soon found myself standing under the shelter of a glass, modern bus-shelter. I sat down on the damp bench, glancing down at puddle on the stony ground, seeing my reflection. Hazel eyes stared back at me, set upon a fairly round, masculine face under short, ordinary, brown hair.

I then returned to my feet, unable to stay sitting down in one place for longer than a minute, especially not on a wet seat. I turned around to look at the back of a bus shelter, seeing now the reflection of my body in the glass. I glanced pitifully at how short my reflection was, just like me, barely at five feet, which is very short for a sixteen-year old boy.

I then lowered my eyes to my deep blue t-shirt, in which the slight bulge of my stomach prevented the top from being flat. I wasn't fat, just... Cuddly, as my mum would tell me. I then finally looked to the bus schedule which was hanging down from the roof of the shelter, and looked at the schedule.

_4:02 - Alton_

_4:12 – Honevray_

I glanced at the watch on my wrist, and the digits: "4:01" stared back at me. I had one minute before my bus arrived, and just as that realisation passed through my mind, I heard the sound of an engine, and the digits on my wrist changed to "4:02".

I raised my eyebrows at the perfect timing of the bus, and glanced to the left to see the shape of a small, yellow bus heading towards me. The annoying thing about this bus service was that there was no indication on the bus as to where it was going, but luckily, the bus always got the time right, so I never had to worry about getting the wrong one, as long as I was there at the right time.

The yellow bus soon came to a halt in front of me, and the doors opened. Looking down at my feet to make sure I didn't trip, I climbed up onto the bus, hearing the doors closing behind me.

I then looked up.

I cried out in surprise.

A... Weird turtle thing stared back at me, looking confused. I blinked. He blinked. Silence.

...

...

"Well-" "What-"

We both cut off. I blushed slightly. "Well-" "What-"

The driver sighed in annoyance, before quickly snapping, "Well, whatcha standing there like tha' for? Go take a seat!" He had a thick accent which reminded me of a pirate, and I quickly headed to the back of the bus, taking the first seat that took my eye.

Which was next to someone already there.

Oh great.

I slowly turned to face my right as the bus began to move, finding myself face to face with a smiling... cat. What. The. Heck?

"Hello!" The cat exclaimed, smiling even wider.

My eyes rolled to the back of my head and I fell sideward of the seat, now seeing black.

Cats don't talk. Cats don't wear clothes. Turtle things don't drive buses. What the heck kind of bus is this, anyway? The cat was blue and white... It had a... too-friendly face, as if it wanted to just swallow me whole in his happiness... Oh no... I'm not in his stomach, am I? It is dark... Oh wait, my eyes are closed. Whoops.

As I opened my eyes, I found myself staring yet again at the freaky cat. Darn it.

However long later, they opened slightly again, this time to find no annoying cat staring at me. I sighed in relief, before hearing the driver, and quickly closed my eyes again, "Is he alrigh', Rover?"

"I don't know..." That was the cat... Rover? "He passed out... twice. How long till we get to Honevray, Kapp'n?"

Honevray? What? I recognised the name, before it clicked.

_4:02 – Alton_

_4:12 – __**Honevray**_

I'd caught the wrong bus.

"Ah..." Kapp'n replied, sighing deeply, "He mus' be one of them humans who don't know about us. Bu' that's odd... Not many humans are able ta even see the bus... Tho' Josh could..." I listened to the conversation in confusion. Who the cheese was Josh?

"Hm..." Rover continued, sounding worried, "Do you think he's moving to Honevray? I mean... Josh is the only human there... Maybe he just got the wrong bus?"

"Probably. But you kno' the drill. All humans that recognise us must live in Honevray, so our secret don't ge' out..."

...What.

"Yeah... But he looks so friendly... This isn't fair, I mean, Josh was looking for somewhere to live. This guy probably has a home and family."

"If someone from the outside world hears 'bout us, we're finished. Done."

"But... Can't we just knock him out and throw him off the bus?"

WHAT? Suddenly, the bus swerved and the hooting of car horns sounded, followed by the screeches of breaks. Oh darn it, they were going to do it.

"Holy cow, hold your horses!" Kapp'n snapped, "Wha's gotten into ya, Rover? We can' do tha'!" This guy's accent was beginning to annoy me.

"S-Sorry! I was just... suggesting... We shouldn't ruin his life like this."

"We have to. It's tha rules."

I shifted slightly, and the conversation fell into silence as I opened my eyes, completely confused. I then saw two furry feet slowly appear in front of me, and looked up to see Rover staring down at me with worry. I pushed myself onto the chair opposite, staring at him with slight fear.

"Hello..." Rover greeted me with unease, unsure of whether to step forward or retreat, "I'm... Um... I'm sorry for startling you like that... This... This must be a shock."

I blinked several times, opening my mouth to speak, "Urgug." I frowned at my own voice, before repeating myself correctly, "Hi..." I shook my head, before resigning himself to the weird animals. I already knew this wasn't a dream, I'd just have to face this weird... Deformed reality. "S-Sorry for... Passing out... I'm... Not used to seeing cats, uh, wearing clothes and, um, talking..."

"No, no! I understand..." I noticed the smile had vanished from Rover's face, it was replaced with worry and uncertainty, "So... Who are you?"

I sighed, making eye contact with Rover, before saying weakly, "I'm... Louis."

"Cool!" The smile was back on Rover's face, but I could easily see that it was fake, "I'm Rover!"

And this was how my crazy new life began...


	2. Unwanted Life

Hello again... I hope chapter 1 made you want to read on, and obviously if you're reading this... it did. Chapter 2 is a fairly short one, but it shows Louis' first denial and introduction to the town. Unfortunately, this is the last you'll see of Rover for quite a while... but Kapp'n makes a reapparance around chapter 26/27... forgot which.

Unwanted Life

Splash. Splash. Splash. Crunch. Splash. Splash. Splash. Crunch.

But this time, it was not my feet making that noise, but the shaky bus whenever it went through one of the several puddles covering the road. The rain was relentless, obscuring my vision of the outside world. Rover hadn't spoken for a while, and I was trying to get my head around things.

"Louis..." I turned my head to glance at the cat, who was standing beside me, looking uncertain, "Can I sit here?" I moved to the next seat, nodding, attempting a friendly smile. Rover smiled back, before sitting next to me, continuing to stare at me with his feline face, and huge, smiling eyes. It creeped me out.

"You do realise what bus this is, right?" The cat asked, and my heart sank. Here was the moment where Rover sprung the crushing news on him, confirm that I had to live in this town called Honevray.

"Alton."

"No..." I sighed, looking away as the cat continued to say, "This is the bus to Honevray. Honevray is a small town full of animals... Like me... Um... You see, humans can't normally see this bus... That's why we're so shocked you can. Only ten other people have seen the bus in the past, and only one other is still alive."

I listened to the story, not moving, but instead said in some type of hope, "I want to get off." I looked to the door, but then to the cat that blocked his way out, and the fact the bus was moving quite quickly. I wondered if I would even make it.

Rover sighed miserably, "You can't... We can't let anyone that knows about us leave... You have to live in Honevray." The cat's shoulders slumped, and he looked downwards at the floor beneath them. His ears drooped, and if the cat wasn't wearing clothes and acting human, I would have found it cute.

I stiffened slightly at the news, but said emotionlessly, "I won't. I can't." I shifted slightly to the left, away from Rover, who failed to notice. I thought of my parents at home, waiting for me to walk through the door. How would anyone expect me to just abandon them?

Rover looked taken back, "You'll have your own house... You'll make friends. It's a beautiful town." I pictured myself in a massive mansion, struggling to cope with all the housework required in living alone. Ouch.

"I don't care. I'm only sixteen. I can't have a house, and I have a family. I can't just vanish."

"But... You have to."

I turned to glare at the cat, who shifted uncomfortably beneath my eyes. I then asked, now angry, "And if I refuse?"

"You can't."

I rolled my eyes, hitting my head against the window, ignoring the thump it made, and the thumping headache I now had. "Why not?"

"You can't leave this bus."

I blinked three times, looking past the cat to the door, wondering if it was physically possible to just jump off the bus and survive. I shifted slightly, before glaring at the cat once more, "And why is that? How will you stop me?"

Rover sighed, actually looking depressed as he bowed his head, but that just made me want to strangle its furry neck even more. Finally, the annoying feline replied with, "It's... Impossible. Once you enter the bus and acknowledge reality, it seals you in. If you try and jump out, you just reappear inside, unless Kapp'n permits you to leave."

...

...

"LET ME OFF!" I leapt from my seat, jumping over a surprised Rover and dashing towards Kapp'n, attempting to strangle the weird turtle thing, "LET ME OFF!"

"Aye yi yi!" Kapp'n shouted, swerving an incoming vehicle, "Ge' off me! You not ge'in off and tha's final! Rover!" The cat left his seat and pulled me back, causing the two of us to fall backwards to the floor, allowing Kapp'n to regain control of the bus.

"Get off!" I protested, shoving and slapping at the cat who pinned me to the ground, "I want to go home! I have to go home!"

Rover skilfully dodged my violent attacks, looking down calmly at me, before driving his paw into the soft spot of my stomach, causing me to gasp for breath and end my struggle long enough for the cat to pin my arms down. He then said, "Please calm down!"

"Calm down?" I shouted, struggling again, before continuing, "You're kidnapping me!"

"Land ho!" I heard the driver shout, and the bus skidded to a halt, sending Rover flying into the back of a seat and me to roll down to the front, before falling down the steps and falling flat on my face on concrete.

"Well that was convenient." Rover said from behind me, before shouting, "Sorry Louis! Enjoy your life in Honevray!"

The bus then drove off quickly, leaving me to look around at my surroundings. The place was very... bright and colourful. Almost like a children's game graphics. Trees littered the place randomly, red shiny apples hanging from the branches, and random flowers of many colours were planted in many different areas.

It was very... Cute.

The sound of a clock chiming made me turn around, and I found myself staring at a large, fancy building. A clock was on top, showing the time to be five o'clock. I took a step forward uncertainly, listening to the cute tune that sounded, before reaching for the handle.

Time to start my unwanted life.


	3. Magical Maps Could Only Work Here

Chapter 3! Hopefully, if you've read this far, you're enjoying it. Chapter 3 introduces the town hall and Pelly. Also, it gives us the list of residents in the town... These are mainly based on my top favourites of each personality. Static, Kabuki and Wolfgang for the crankies. Cube, Bob and Bones for the lazies. Roald and Tank for the jocks. Purrl and Portia for the snooties. Dora, Mitzi and Goldie for the normals. Finally, Rosie and Nibbles for the peppies.

I'll explain this now... every character has a distinct personality and background that will eventually become clear as we begin exploring them. Like a soap opera, each one has something to give to the story, and when their part's done... they leave the town. I hope that convinces you to read on if you're getting bored. :P I know the first 18 chapters are dull.

Magical Maps could only work here...

I opened the door and entered the building. The floor was shining as if recently polished, and there was a weird type of bin to my right, saying something about 'Recycling being good for the environment'. But ahead of me was a big counter, where a... pelican was smiling at me from behind. The pelican was dressed in a pink, frilly dress and looked very friendly... Too friendly.

I hesitated, before stepping forward to the counter, clearing my throat, "Uh-"

"Hello and welcome to Honevray!" the pelican cut off, before leaving the counter and grabbing my hand and shaking it with her wing. It felt... weird. "I am Pelly, the day clerk here at the town hall! But my sister, Phyllis works at night, she's a real sweetheart! But, uh, who are you?"

She was acting... too friendly.

"U-Um..." I stuttered, before saying, "Louis... I-I'm new here."

"Ah!" Pelly's eyes widened, before frowning, "You're the Louis? You're the human moving in here? Wow... Usually they just visit and believe it's a dream..."

"Pardon?" I asked, not actually hearing what the pelican had said.

"Huh?" Pelly shook her head quickly, snapping out of her daze, "Oh! Nothing! Um... Well, first off, here is a map of Honevray. You'll find a list of locations and residents on the sides, and where they live. We have our town split up in acres, which is what the black boxes are, see? And also, when a villager moves out or in, the map updates itself."

I looked at the map, and at the residents. Static, who lived in B2, Roald from B5, Cube from C2. I frowned at the names. What kind of names were they? Static? Roald was normal, sort of... Cube? Those poor animals, having to live with the names. Continuing down, I saw Mitzi from C2, same as Cube, Rosie from C3, Purrl from C5... Kabuki from D1, Tank from D1 also, Bones from D3, Dora from D4, Nibbles from D4, Portia from D5, Wolfgang from E2, Goldie from F2 and Bob from F4. What an odd list of names.

I then looked to the left of the map, where the locations were listed. Acre A1 had Nook's Cranny... What the heck was Nook's Cranny? A2 had the dump. Lovely, I had no intention of going there. A3 had the gate, which I had passed through to get here. The post office was in acre A5, the estate office in B3, C1 was the town hall. I looked up, noticing that I must now be in C1, that's handy to know. Police station E1, Wishing Well E4, Museum E5, Able Sisters F1. Able Sisters? Again, I had no idea what that was. Finally, the Pierview Diner was at F5.

But one thing was missing. Where the heck were the shops?

I folded the map and began to put it in my pocket, before Pelly said, "Wait! Let me give you your backpack!" I frowned, accepting the... tiny blue bag from the clerk. It was tiny, I couldn't even fit my arm through the strap. Pelly was quick to explain, "It goes on your belt. But, this is a new form of technology. Every item you receive in Honevray will have a small button on it somewhere that turns it into a leaf..."

I stared at her, raising my eyebrows. She took the map from my hands, pressed something and it transferred into a leaf. She then said, "Put it in your bag, and it shrinks. When you want to take something out, just think about the item, take it out. If furniture, just throw it on the floor in front of you, if clothing, just imagine yourself wearing it. If something like a map, just squeeze the leaf." She squeezed the leaf, and it turned back to a map, "You try."

My mouth dropped open, before I examined the map for the button. I soon found it, pressing it and feeling it transform to a very smooth leaf that was very flexible, but impossible to break. I then squeezed it, before doing the same process and putting it in my bag.

"Wow." I commented.

Pelly laughed cheerfully, before saying, "Anyway, as for your house. Hm. I just need to finish the forms for you moving in, so why don't you go and look at the four houses on your map for one you want?"

I frowned, taking the map back out and looking at it. Sure enough, there were four empty (grey) houses on the map with no occupants. There was a house in A4, B2, E3 and F3. A4 was right above a ledge, meaning the best view. It was also close to the gate, Nook's Cranny and the dump. B2 was surrounded by trees, meaning peace and solitude. It was close to the estate office, and quite a few villager houses. E3 is closest to the most villagers, as well as the police station, wishing well and Museum. That would be the location where most the activity happens. Finally, F3 was right on the beach and close to the Able Sisters, pier and diner.

I'd always liked beaches; I've always wanted to live at the beach... I decided to check that one out first, and if it looked nice, I wouldn't even bother looking at the others. I smiled to Pelly, who was now behind the counter doing paperwork, before leaving the town hall and back into the cool, winter air. I noticed it had begun to snow quite heavily, and I shivered, wishing I had thicker clothing.

Finding a house today, who would have thought?


	4. Working for a Raccoon

Chapter 4... Introduction of Tom Nook! Yay! So yes... Louis, with the help of a new friend, Bob the cat, finds his house... he's not very impressed. Nook then pops out of nowhere and gives him a job. Things sure are moving quickly for Louis.

Working for a Raccoon... What?

This was confusing. So many trees, so many BUGS. Ugh! I had no idea where I was, just following my map blindly. It's only when I almost fell off a rather tall ledge that it clicked. I looked around for how to get down, seeing a slope nearby. I headed over to it...

WHAM!

"AAAAHH!" Both I and someone else screamed as we tumbled off the ledge, landing in a patch of daisies with a thump. I quickly pushed my assailant off, and saw a purple cat rolling away from me. I climbed to my feet, rubbing my pained ankle, before glancing at the cat.

"I'm so sorry, Josh, pthhhpth!" The cat exclaimed, and I frowned at the name. Josh?

"_Yeah... But he looks so friendly... This isn't fair, I mean, Josh was looking for somewhere to live. This guy probably has a home and family."_

"Um... I'm not Josh." I replied, frowning at the cat, who was now on his feet. He was dressed in a red top with white flowers on, and had a darker patch of purple fur over his left eye, as well as a rather stupid smile always present. Freaky.

"Of course you are." The cat frowned, "Sure you've put on like thirty kilos-"

"Shut up!" I snapped, blushing angrily, before saying, "I'm not Josh. I'm Louis, I'm new in town, so who the heck at you?"

He then actually looked at my face, and realisation hit, "Oh! I'm really sorry! And, um, sorry, kinda exaggerating there. More like fifteen- OKAY! Never mind, pthhhpth! Um... Did you say you're moving in?"

I sighed in exasperation, before saying, "Yes I am. Who are you?"

"Y-You are? Really? Oh! I'm Bob." The cat answered, outstretching his paw. I hesitatingly accepted, hating the touch of fur against my human skin. I was worried he would accidentally scratch me. But Bob seemed friendly enough, a little dim-witted, but kinda like me.

"Nice to meet you... Bob." I replied, smiling slightly, before apologising, "Sorry for snapping, kinda stressed. Been a full-on day, and no idea how to get to the beach to find my house... Any idea what it looks like?"

Bob frowned, before nodding cheerfully, "Sure do, pthhhpth! That's the blue-roofed house, I wish I had it, a bit too small for me though... I hear that Nook can expand it if you pay him back, pthhhpth."

Nook? The guy that owns that place in A1?

"Who is Nook?" I asked, as we began to walk towards what I assumed was the beach. This place was full of trees, it was rather annoying. I'd seen no other sign of life except Bob, but then again, there were only twenty villagers in the town...

"Nook, pthhhpth?" Bob repeated, glancing at me, smiling slightly, "Only one of the most famous people in Honevray, pthhhpth. He runs the store in town, Nook's Cranny. A bit of a run-down dump, just like my house, pthhhpth."

I turned to give him a 'what the heck' look, before finally we escaped the trees and found ourselves staring at the sea. Being from a big city, I was not used to such amounts of water, and found myself staring in shock, before finding Bob's furry paw waving in front of my face.

"Blah! Yes? Huh?" I turned to glare at Bob, who then pointed at a rather... small house that was nothing but a box with a blue roof, two windows and a big door. I stared at it, "That's my house? What are the other three like?"

Bob tilted his head, thinking, before shrugging, "The same except with red, green or yellow roofs, pthhhpth. No difference, same cost, same stuff inside, just different location." I considered, before sighing, entering the box that would soon be my house.

Bob followed me inside, sniffing, "Hm, smells like my house, pthhhpth." I glanced around pitifully, seeing nothing but a candle on a cardboard box and a tape deck. The floor was dusty and old, the walls the same and peeling. Fantastic.

"You're saying that every house is like this?" I repeated, hoping that there was some chance for a decent house, "I mean, where do I sleep? On the floor?"

"No, no, pthhhpth!" Bob exclaimed, before dragging me up a rickety staircase I hadn't even noticed. Upstairs was a single, blue bed and a phone. That improved my opinion... Slightly. "So how about it, Louis?"

I sighed, before shrugging, "As there's no difference to others except location... I love beaches, so this'll do." I took a last glance at the bedroom, before walking downstairs and leaving the house, to find myself facing a smiling, evil looking, vile creature.

"Welcome, welcome to Honevray, hm?" The raccoon exclaimed, grabbing my hand and shaking it, while I just stared, "I'm sure you'll fit in perfectly, yes?"

I blinked repeatedly, before saying, "Uh... Thanks... Who are you?"

"Nook!" Bob exclaimed, rushing out of my soon-to-be house, "Sorry, but Louis here needs to see Josh to get his house sorted, pthhhpth!"

See Josh to get my house sorted?

"Oh, yes, of course." Nook nodded, before continuing, "I shall not keep you long. How much money do you have, hm?"

My hopes raised at this question, wondering if I'd be kicked out of town, "No money at all." Nook and Bob both looked stunned, before Nook began to think deeply.

"Hm. Well this works perfectly." My heart sank once more, "I am need of some help at my shop, yes? And you need some money. How about you come and work part time at my shop, hm? Yes, yes, it will be perfect! And at the same time, I can teach you about how to make a living here! Well, what do you say?"

"W-What?" I stuttered, before considering, frowning, "W-What type of jobs?"

"Deliveries... Other chores, yes?" Nook responded, looking hopeful.

"...Fine." I gave in, shoulders slumping as the raccoon clapped for joy. This place is insane.


	5. The Estate Office

Chapter five! I'm pretty sure that if you're still reading, I've definitely grabbed your interest. So thank you for reading this far! Chapter 5 introduces one of the key characters to the story, and my personal favourite... he is named after me after all. xD Josh, owner of the real estate office, and other human resident in town. Also, Bob gives his own personal explanation of the AC holidays! Holidays is one thing I'm uncertain on... if you look at chapter list, you can see that around chapter 20 there's an April Fools Day special... but it was after that chapter that I managed to get my foot in what I wanted to do with this story. So I'm unsure if I'll actually add them.

The Estate Office

I waved goodbye to Nook, telling him I would be at his shop soon, before turning to Bob, "Could you lead me to this Josh person, please?" It would be nice to see another human, maybe someone I could make proper friends with and not feel awkward.

"Yeah, sure, pthhhpth!" Bob replied as he smiled at me, before leading me upwards back into the load of trees. I took a look around my surroundings, seeing a house nearby. It was bigger than mine, but still nothing but a box with a roof, windows and door.

"Who lives there?" I asked, glancing back to Bob, who was whistling merrily. I noticed that the snow had stopped, but there was still a cold breeze, and the sky was completely white. I expected there would be more snowfall soon.

Bob glanced to the house, before replying, "That's Mitzi's house. She's lovely, pthhhpth, a cat like me. Doesn't look like she's in, though. Not really much to do inside. By the way, has anyone told you of all the holidays we celebrate?"

I shook my head.

"Well, there's the basic ones like when Jingle comes to town... Jingle's a reindeer. There's Bunny Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Year's Eve... Stuff like that. But also, some different holidays like the Flea Market, where basically you let other people buy unwanted stuff, and you can buy others'. Fishing and bug-catching tournaments, just catch the biggest fish or bug... Mushroom and acorn collecting, where you collect as many as possible for cool furniture. There are fireworks shows, enough said... La-di day, a singing contest, Comedy Day, a funny contest... Uh... Yeah, that and other stuff! It's really cool."

I nodded, actually thinking they sounded fun, "Awesome..."

Eventually, the trees parted again and I found myself staring at a fairly large building labelled 'ESTATE OFFICE'. So Josh worked in the estate office? Interesting... Bob led me to the door, pulling it open. Warm, thick air hit me as a bell rang from above. We entered a room full of wood. Polished wood on the floor, wooden supports and wooden tiles for the ceiling. Opposite was a counter of wood, where a human boy was leant over behind.

His hair was a browney-blonde colour, don't really know how to describe it. As he looked up, I saw he wore glasses, had pale skin and looked serious but friendly. He looked shocked as he noticed me, and it was a few seconds before he smiled and left the counter. "Good evening, and welcome to Honevray." He extended his hand, and I took it, smiling back weakly. "I am Josh, owner of the Estate Office."

"I'm Louis." I responded, noting that the boy was about half a foot taller, but seemed of similar age, "I'm new here... I want to buy the house by the beach, please, if possible."

Josh nodded, before returning to behind the counter, searching for something, "I see you've met Bob, have you met anyone else? I expect Nook will be wanting to speak to you, he tends to like meeting new residents to the town." He brought down a small box from a shelf, approaching me again, "Not had a human move in for a long time."

He stared at me curiously, as I accepted the box, before he continued, "Inside is the key to your house. When you carry this key, you have the ability to drop furniture in your house and move things. Otherwise, it will be like other homes you visit, where you can only use the items, not take or pick up. Look after the key, or anyone can enter and steal all your items. Not that we have anyone in town capable of that, but you can never be too sure."

I nodded, taking that information in. It was a good system, and I opened the box and drew the key, and the word 'Louis' slowly dissolved into view on a small circle at the handle. I pocketed it, smiling slightly at Josh, "Thank you..."

"No worries." Josh replied, still staring at me with curiosity, "I... Hope you fit in. Honevray is a great place, but don't expect to see many humans around here. Please come to me if you need any help, it is daunting at first to be surrounded by talking animals."

I nodded once more, unsure of what to say, before I yawned. Josh laughed slightly and I mumbled, "Sorry, been a tiring day... I'm worried about my family, too, they'll be wondering where I am. They'll send out search parties... It's upsetting..." Tears sprung to my eyes at the thought of not seeing my family again.

Josh smiled sadly, before saying, "I can't imagine how that feels, I came here with the intention of moving. But to be forced to move here, that is just bad luck. But Kapp'n couldn't do anything about it, or we would all be ruined. Destroyed."

I nodded, wiping my eyes furiously, annoyed at myself for letting my emotions get to me, "Yeah... Thanks. Well... I need to go and work for Nook's, so thanks for the key." Josh nodded, waving at me, before Bob and I left.

I wondered what lay in wait at Nook's Dungeon... I mean, Cranny.


	6. Getting the Hang of Things

Geez, these chapters just get shorter and shorter... don't worry, they'll start getting longer soon. So yes, Louis starts his job... his first task being meeting all the residents. First, he meets Tortimer, the mayor at the town hall. How will this go?

Getting the Hang of Things

"Aha, there you finally are, hm?" Nook exclaimed as I pulled open the rotting door of his evil lair. Inside was also rotting, in both appearance and smell. There was an odd machine to my left, and two tables set out in front of me. The far left ran against the wall vertically, holding a bag of seeds, medicine, packs of paper and rolled-up carpet and wallpaper. The horizontal table right in front of me held a fishing rod, watering can and net. At the back of the store was some type of chair and a chest of drawers.

The final feature that caught my attention was a huge spider-web in the far left corner of the roof. Yuck.

"U-Um, hi Nook." I stuttered, smiling shakily, looking at the evil-looking raccoon. He seemed to not notice my nerves, and shoved a top into my hands. I looked at it, seeing it was a light green and had the furniture leaf imprinted on it.

"Well, put it on!" Nook exclaimed, watching impatiently. I looked to the top, seeing its sleeves were shorter than my current. Was this raccoon expecting me to take my top off in front of him? I'm not exactly confident in my appearance, and no way was I going topless in front of this weirdo. Nook rolled his eyes, before saying, "Someone explained this to you, yes? Just imagine yourself wearing it."

I suddenly recalled Pelly telling me about this, so I glanced at the top, imagining it on my body. I suddenly did an automatic back flip, and I stumbled, falling face-first on the floor. It smelt... mouldy. I climbed to my feet, seeing I was now wearing the uniform, and Nook was chuckling.

"Never mind, never mind, always happens, hm?" Nook reassured me, and I nodded, before he suddenly frowned, "Oh of course! How stupid of me! You've only just arrived, yes? Well, go and meet some new people. There are twenty villagers, you've already met Bob, so go and introduce yourself to everyone. Oh, and the mayor! He should be in the town hall, so I suggest you go to him first, yes?"

I nodded, slightly excited but nervous at the same time of meeting all the villagers. But Bob seemed nice enough, so maybe it wouldn't be too bad. I waved goodbye to Nook and left the shop, closing the door behind me to see that once more, snow was falling from the sky. Heavier than before. Maybe there would be a white Christmas? Hadn't had that before.

So... The mayor first? Hm, back to the town hall, it seems.

Eventually, I entered the warmth of the town hall once more, to find myself staring at an old... wrinkled... ugly... tortoise? Or turtle? I forgot which was which. Anyway, this tortoise had a top hat and a cane, and looked very... Mad?

"You! Who do you respect the most? The shopkeeper, mayor, mail clerk or police officer?" He jabbed me in the stomach with his cane, winding me slightly. I blinked repeatedly, staring at the turtle, before glancing at Pelly behind him who was waving and mouthing 'MAYOR!'

"U-Uh... The... Mayor?" I stuttered, and the turtle suddenly smiled and shook my hand repeatedly.

"I like you!" The turtle announced, before clearing his throat rather disgustingly, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Tortimer, the mayor of Honevray. I am the most important animal in this town, and I take control of all the events. So yeah, come find me at each event for special rewards. What's your name, young grasshopper?"

I blinked repeatedly, before stuttering, "O-Oh, Louis... Sir. I just moved in, Nook sent me out to meet you and the villagers."

"Aha! Good on you for doing to the service already." Tortimer smiled again, whacking my arm rather hard with his cane, "You have a bright future ahead of you, boy."

"T-Thank you." I stuttered once more, before saying, "I should get going, I need to get back to Nook as soon as possible, and it's, uh, getting quite late." After Tortimer returned the goodbye, I hurried out of the town hall and took out my map. Ignoring the flakes of snow that slightly obscured my vision, I looked at where I was closest to.

C2, Cube and Mitzi.

I headed to my left, entering the midst of trees again, and after a bit of exploring, I finally found a house. The lights were on, which probably meant that the resident was in. It was different to the house I saw earlier- Mitzi's, so by process of elimination, this must be Cube.

I knocked on the door, and after hearing the cue to enter, I opened the door and entered the house.


	7. Making Friends

Making Friends

The house was full of weird items, including some fish in a tank that hardly had any room to move around. How cruel. Some weird techno type music played from an even weirder stereo.

But the resident of the house was a black, blue and white penguin with a plus sign for eyes. He wore a blue top with the gamecube logo on. He smiled at me and approached me, grabbing my hand with his wing.

"Hey, d-d-dude!" The penguin exclaimed, before dragging me inside the house, "Welcome to Honevray! I'm Cube, d-d-dude." I tilted my head as I glanced at the penguin, wondering why on Earth it had a name like Cube, except for the logo on his top.

I nodded breathlessly, glancing back to the fish in the corner, "U-Uh, nice to meet you. I'm Louis, new here."

"Yeah, I figured you're the guy that everyone's been talking about, d-d-dude." Cube explained, before following my gaze to the fish, "Oh, that? That's my prized 'red snapper'! I will never, ever part with it! I love it, d-d-dude!"

"You might want to get a bigger tank; the thing can't even turn around." I advised, frowning slightly at how still the fish was. I shrugged, before glancing back to the penguin, who seemed to not understand a single word I said. I sighed, saying, "Well, nice to meet you Cube, but I have to go. I'm on a break and I need to meet the other villagers. Later."

Cube looked disappointed, before hurrying to the back of his room, rushing back to me and shoving a leaf into my hands, "Here, have this as a housewarming present, d-d-dude! It's a fridge, the main priority in a house!" I looked shocked, putting the leaf in my bag.

"Are you serious?" I questioned in amazement, "You're giving me a fridge as a housewarming present? Wow, thanks Cube! You shouldn't have."

"Well, if you don't want it, you can just sell it to old man Nook, d-d-dude!" Cube informed me, before holding the door open for me, "Make a few bells, I expect you don't have much money, d-d-dude."

"No... I don't." I admitted reluctantly, before waving and leaving the house. Next stop, Mitzi. But unfortunately, her house was again empty. As I turned from knocking on the door, I caught a glance of a blue and white, female cat swinging a net at a butterfly. I frowned, before approaching her.

"Hey..." I said, startling the cat and causing the butterfly to take refuge in a nearby tree. The cat looked disappointed, before turning to smile shyly at me. She was a very cute cat, and I almost forgot she was an animal, and blushed slightly.

"Hello, mew." The cat replied, putting her net away and smiling at me awkwardly.

"Sorry about the butterfly." I apologised pathetically, before extending my hand, "I am Louis... I'm new to Honevray. Nice to meet you... I'm guessing you're Mitzi? You meet Bob's description." Indeed, she had a blue face and paws, while her head was white. She had big, bell-shaped eyes and a sweet smile.

"Oh! Don't worry about it, mew, I'm just trying to help out the museum." Mitzi smiled wider, before shaking my hand, her fur not feeling as rough and weird as Rover's and Bob's, "Yes, I am Mitzi. It's great to meet you, Louis! I'm sure you'll fit in well here, mew! If you ever need a friend to talk to, or just someone to listen, I'm here, okay?"

I smiled my first proper smile since arriving, already finding Mitzi to be a proper friend. For the first time, I felt welcome in this strange world... Okay, cheesy thought there, never mind... But it's nice to feel welcome in a foreign world, right? Not like a freak?

Anyway, back to the strange... reality.

"Thank you... Mitzi." I replied warmly, fidgeting slightly, "That's very nice of you, and, uh... Same to you, though I'm not the best at giving advice and... uh... stuff." Mitzi laughed, and I blushed, before continuing, "But... Yeah. Same to you, and thanks for the welcome. Um, I should, uh, get going... I need to meet everyone and return to Nook."

"Wait!" Mitzi called after me as I began to rush away. I sighed and turned back to glance at my new friend, who smiled, asking, "When is your birthday, mew?"

I stuttered, "O-Oh... Um... January 17th. Yeah."

She smiled again, causing me to blush once more, "I see. Mine is September 25th, bye Louis, mew."

Three friends made, seventeen to go. Ugh, this would take a while.

Next stop? Rosie from C3...

As soon as I entered the house of pink, I knew I was doomed, for there, smiling at me very widely, was a blue cat dressed in pink, wearing pink make-up.

Oh dear love of cheese, what now?


	8. Friends but no foes

reviewwiz- Wow, thanks for that review! Means a lot. =D

Friends... But no foes. Yay.

"Hellooooo!" The cat squealed, before running and hugging me. I hugged her back hesitatingly, before pulling myself away, smiling awkwardly, before the cat said, "Like, welcome to town, silly! I'm Rosie, the cutest girl in Honevray!"

I blinked, opening my mouth to speak, before closing it again. I finally forced a smile, saying, "Heeey, Rosie. I'm Louis... Nice to meet you!" I watched as the peppy cat dashed behind me, closing the door from the increasing heavy snowfall. She then ran over to a wardrobe, taking clothes out. I frowned, hoping she wasn't going to give any of them to me... They were pink.

"Soooo, silly, I need a new guy's help!" Rosie explained, twirling around and hugging the dresses, sighing dreamily, "Which one of these suits me best, silly?" She held two dresses up to her front. One very frilly pink one, one short pink one. Both pink. Great. Yay. Actually, yuck. But she was cute, and pink did... suit her. But her house hurt my eyes.

"U-Uh... The non-frilly one." I answered, simply because I disliked it whenever girls wore stuff that was frilly. It just made them seem like fairy princesses, in my opinion, but I'm no expert on female fashion. Rosie glanced at the short one, and then back flipped into it. She smiled widely at me, hugging me again and kissing me on the cheek. I blushed slightly.

"Eheh..." I scratched my head, watching as she continued twirling around.

"This is my fav too, silly!" Rosie squealed, stopping at the window and gazing outside, "That was really a quiz to see how similar you are to me! We're gonna be best friends forever, silly! Oh! I almost forgot!" She headed over to the cupboard again, drawing out a roll of wallpaper, "This is for you! Don't worry, it's not pink, but I know how ugly your wallpaper is, so this is my gift from me to you, silly!"

I took the wallpaper, putting it in my pocket, still trying to get used to this weird technology, "Thanks Rosie! I really appreciate it... I'm afraid I don't have any money to give in return, though, but I will return the favour!" I smiled weakly, before glancing outside, seeing how dark it was, "Sorry, I must go... Thank you so much! I need to continue my job for Nook."

After saying goodbye to my new, peppy friend, I left the house of pink and continued on my way... Next stop would be C5, and Purrl. Sounded like yet another cat. I couldn't tell if it was a male or female name though, so I'd just have to wait and see. As I wandered through the trees, I spotted a blue wolf nearby, talking to a purple squirrel.

I walked towards them, and they glanced around to look at me as I approached. The wolf watched me suspiciously as I stopped in front of them.

"Hi..." I murmured quietly, before speaking louder, "I-I'm Louis, I'm new in to-"

"Ah, the new guy." The wolf muttered, extending his paw immediately. I took it, resisting a shudder at the rough edges of his fur. "Welcome to Honevray, snarrrl. I'm sure you'll fit in... perfectly." My smile faltered at the lack of a smile from the wolf. He seemed friendly enough, just... cold. "I'm Wolfgang, by the way, snarrrl."

"And I'm Static, krzzt." The squirrel said rather emotionlessly, also shaking my hand, his fur with a nicer touch than Wolfgang's. I frowned at the squirrel, seeing he had a yellow lightning bolt on his head. It explained the name, though it was still odd. "So... Getting the hang of things yet, krzzt?"

I shrugged lightly, "I guess. I just want to finish introducing myself to everyone, working for Nook and just sleep..."

"Hm, snarrrl." Wolfgang murmured, before placing his hand upon a tree, "Allow me to show you an easy way to make money." He turned to face the tree completely, and shook it, causing three apples to fall, landing on the ground. The wolf bent down to pick them up, tossing one to me, one to Static and keeping the other for himself, "Nook buys these things for one hundred bells. He buys foreign fruit for five hundred though, snarrrl, but unfortunately, nothing but apples in this town."

Static then chipped in, "Though coconuts occasionally wash up on the beach, krzzt, they're difficult to grow though, never had a successful orchard with them... But yeah, fruit's your easiest income of money, krzzt... Wait, not easiest. Sea shells wash up on shore, some of them sell for quite a bit of money... Others not, krzzt." I nodded, trying to take all this information in.

Wolfgang tilted his head slightly, before suggesting, "How about, when you've settled in and finished working for Nook, you come fishing with us, snarrrl? Fish sell for a lot of money, too. And its fun, relaxing, takes your mind off things, you know?" Wolfgang stared at me curiously as I considered the idea. There was something odd about these two, they were acting friendly, but they didn't have a friendly... feeling.

"Sure, sounds good." I finally replied, attempting a smile, "Thanks for the welcome, I'll see you around."

"Wait, krzzt." Static stopped me, stepping forward, "Here's a welcoming gift from both of us. Five hundred bells, krrzt." I stared at the bag of money in disbelief.

"Sorry, I appreciate the gift, but I can't accept money..." I mumbled, smiling in appreciation for the thought. But Static and Wolfgang both laughed, glancing at each other.

"Listen, krzzt." Static continued, handing the bag over once more, "This is how things work in town. Everyone here has a lot of bells, except you. It is our duty as villagers to help out new people, krrzt, we have a friendly community here. It will be expected of you when you get used to things here. The other animals have given you gifts, right?" I nodded uncertainly, and the squirrel continued, "And they paid for that with bells, krrzt. So by accepting those gifts is no different to accepting money, except you can choose what to do with it."

I sighed, taking this in, before nodding, "Well... Thank you..." I reluctantly put the bag of bells in my pocket, before saying, "See you later." I nodded to both of them, before turning and walking away, continuing my journey to C3.


	9. How many cats does this town have?

How many cats does this town have?

'How many cats does this town have?'

I mean seriously... Bob, Mitzi, Rosie, and now... This brown and white cat dressed in fancy, purple clothing stood in front of me. Imaginary people reading my thoughts, meet Purrl. I was stood in the entrance to her home, staring at her house of red, brown and black. The cat herself was sat in a sofa, seeming to admire a painting beside her.

She then glanced at me quizzically, running her feline eyes over my body, before gracefully getting to her feet and approaching me. She seemed to examine me, slowly walking behind me. I turned to follow her movement, but she glared at me, saying sharply, "Keep still, kitten." Without an idea of why I was obeying this cat who just called me 'kitten', I resumed my position of staring at the house, examining the fancy bed in the corner.

"Hm." The cat murmured from behind me, before I felt her paws being prodded roughly into the flesh of my stomach. I winced, rather irritated about the number of times my stomach had been mentioned or touched today. First by Rover to stop my struggle to escape, then commented on by Bob after he mistook me for Josh, and now this... snooty cat was prodding me.

Gah.

"Quit it!" I finally snapped, and the cat shrugged loosely, still with her graceful charm as she returned to standing in front of me, not bothered by the angry gaze that was burning into her from my eyes.

"I apologise, kitten." The cat nodded to me, a sharp, sudden movement of her neck, before turning to face the side of her room, and for the first time, I noticed how slim the cat was. Okay, I've gone insane. Why on earth am I thinking about whether a cat's fat or not? I had a cat back at home, a lazy, fat mass of fur that sat around all day.

But if this cat was a pet, then she would have been majorly underfed by her owners. But no... She was human in all but appearance.

Why.

Am.

I.

Thinking.

About.

This?

I mentally face palmed, before realising I had actually done it physically, and Purrl was staring at me once more. I sighed to myself, before saying, "Uh... Sorry. I'm Louis, I'm, um, new to Honevray." I extended my hand for her to shake. The cat stared at it with slight uncertainty, before turning from it and walking further into her house..

Snooty. Definitely. Or snob, whatever you want to call it.

"Mm." Purrl murmured, withdrawing her paw and leaving it to fall against her small frame, graceful in every movement. "A pleasure to meet you Louis, I am Purrl, kitten, one of the... More stylish residents of Honevray." I resisted commenting 'Wow, really?'. She continued, "Not that I like to brag. But... If you ever need some fashion tips..." She stared at my apron with distaste, "Which you might, kitten, then come and see me. As for now, here is a more... fashionable top, kitten."

I took the clothing from her, forcing a smile, trying to make it as unfake as possible, before saying, "Thank you Purrl. But this is my work uniform, for Tom Nook." Purrl nodded, seemingly uninterested in what I had to say, before we were interrupted by a knock at the door. Purrl sighed, before brushing past me to open it.

"Ah, Dora, kitten." I turned to see a white mouse dressed in a purple, flowery dress enter. She smiled sweetly at me from the doorway, and I heard Purrl sigh, before explaining, "Yes, that is Louis. He is new in Honevray, I am sure he intended to visit you soon. I suppose you had better come in then, I did not intend to have guests grace the halls of my home, but... So be it, kitten." The way she was talking was beginning to annoy me. She had not abbreviated a single word since I had first- Oh great, now I have- I've caught it...

"I-I see, squeaky." The mouse called Dora stuttered, before taking something out of her pocket, "This... This didn't really suit me, squeaky." I heard Purrl make a 'tut' sound, before moving aside to let the rather shy-seeming mouse through. She stood beside me, saying, "Hello, squeaky! I'm Dora, and you're Louis?" I nodded, shaking her paw, before glancing back to Purrl as she approached.

She folded her arms, "And why did it not fit, kitten?" She frowned, eyeing the mouse's middle, and Dora shied away at the gaze, "Hm. Seems you've put on a few pounds, no wonder." She turned briskly and put the clothing in her wardrobe, not turning back to face them when done. Dora was gazing at the floor sadly, while I was wondering if I should be comforting her or staying out of it.

"S-So what?" Dora suddenly squeaked, looking back up angrily, "It's my life, and you don't need to control it. I'm still thin, and I'm happy with my own clothes, squeaky!"

Purrl turned around, no emotion on her face, before she shrugged loosely, "Very well. Anyway, if you two do not mind, kitten, I am rather busy, so if you would...?" She broke off, gesturing rather rudely to the door. I raised my eyebrows, before turning away, allowing Dora to leave first. I shut the door behind me, relieved to be out of the house. I didn't like Purrl.

"I-I'm not fat, am I squeaky?" I glanced at the mouse, eyebrows rising once more as I looked at her invisible middle, to my own cuddlier waistline. I looked back to her face, wondering if that was a serious question. If this mouse thought she was fat, then Purrl was a huge manipulator.

"No." I replied simply, before beginning to walk in no particular direction. Dora immediately perked up and followed.

"Oh! Thank you, squeaky, thank you!" The mouse said happily, smiling at me as I turned to glance at her, before walking straight into a tree. I stumbled back, Dora's small paw steadying me in concern, before her eyes rose to look at the top of the tree. "ACK! L-Lois, s-squeaky, r-run!" I frowned in confusion, before looking to the top of the tree.

"Oh crud." I muttered.


	10. Buzz buzz owl

Buzz, buzz, ow...l

"B-Bees!" Dora stuttered once more, and I gazed at the shaking nest up in the tree, praying that it wouldn't fall. I slowly backed away, and the shaking stopped. I sighed in relief, and so did Dora. "That was close, squeaky!" I glanced irritably at the mouse who had just stated the obvious, before frowning.

A flash of red and white disappeared behind a cedar tree, before darting to the next, and to the next. It was the shape of an animal, something white, with red streaks. My eyes followed the figure as he continued closer to us, closer to the tree with the nest. My eyes widened, before I shouted, "Run, Dora!"

A chuckle came from the figure, and I saw a cat- yes, another cat- now beside the tree, bearing a mischievous smile, and the nest was flying through the air towards us. I turned, grabbed Dora's arm, and ran. I heard a muffled thump as the nest landed, and I dared glance back to see a swarm of angry bees rise up.

Buzzzzzzzz.

I hated the sound of bees, it made me cringe. It didn't help that I hated bugs, as I've mentioned before. Dora and I ran for our lives, ignoring the chuckling of the cat as it got further and further away. I had no idea where we were going, and Dora occasionally shouted, "Left! Right!" to point me in some kind of direction.

I saw a large, white building ahead of me, looking old and fancy. Two dogs were stood outside talking. One brown and white, a male, the other almost yellow, female. The girl turned to glance at us, before her eyes widened. "Goldie, open the door! Bones, both of you, look out!" Dora screamed from beside me, barely audible over the increasingly buzz.

The yellow dog, Goldie, immediately grabbed the door handle and pulled it open, shoving the male, Bones inside. She held the door open for us, and Dora and I ran in. We turned around, my eyes widening as I saw the swarm of bees now zooming around Goldie's head. Goldie screamed, and Bones suddenly drew out a net from his pocket, darting forward.

"Bones, be careful, squeaky!" Dora cried as the dog began swinging wildly with his net, distracting from the bees. The swarm began to fall into disarray, some of them still going for Goldie, some for Bones, while the rest seemed to be confused as to what to do. Finally, the swarm buzzed away, leaving Goldie cowering on the ground and Bones dancing around, holding up a single bee.

"I caught the bee-ee, yip yip, I caught the bee-ee," Bones sang in happiness. Dora and I ignored him, rushing over to help Goldie to her feet. She was sobbing softly, covering her face with her paws. Dora hugged her comfortingly, before pulling her paws away... My eyes widened, and Dora couldn't help but gasp.

"I-I knew it... I-I look awful, woof..." Goldie sniffed. I opened my mouth to protest, before closing it again. Her left eye was swollen, she did look a... sorry state. She looked over to Bones, who was still dancing, "T-Thank you Bones, woof..." Bones paid no attention, continuing his chant of 'I caught the bee-ee'.

"No, squeaky!" Dora protested instead, trying to keep her voice sounding serious, "You look fine! Sure, people may notice... But if we go buy some medicine from Nook's straight away, that'll be fine, right?" I froze, wondering if Nook would shout at me for not being done yet. I'd been away a while now, and the sun was sinking lower. I just wanted to sleep, even if it meant in that rickety bed in the attic of my house.

As the two continued to discuss, and Bones continued to dance, I recalled the red and white cat I'd seen, the one that had caused all of this. I then asked, "Who was that red and white cat? The one who threw the nest at us?"

Dora's eyes narrowed, and she folded her arms crossly, "That was Kabuki... He's one of the meaner residents in town, he likes to play pranks." The dislike in her voice was obvious, much like how she'd spoken about Purrl just a few minutes ago. I nodded, before looking around the place. There were four doors, and two staircases. First on the left was a staircase leading downwards. Outside it was a sign, and I could just make out the heading: '[u]Brewster's Cafe[/u]'.

Further up on the left, there was a green mat with a butterfly imprinted on. At the back of the building was the second staircase, a picture of stars and planets on the sign beside it. In the middle of the room, against the wall was a grandfather clock. On the right of that was another door, a blue mat with a fish imprinted outside it. Finally, the two doors on the right had a brown mat with a dinosaur head and a red mat with a painting frame next to the closest on my right.

I suddenly heard footsteps from the staircase leading up, and I saw two owls rushing down, the male looking out of breath. The male was brown, wearing a green bow tie, while the female was red, a pink bow upon her head. The two approached, looking at Bones with confusion as he continued to dance. The female spoke first, "Dora? Goldie? What happened here?" She noticed the state of Goldie's eye and gasped, rushing over and putting her right wing around her shoulder.

The male approached Bones cautiously, watching the bee in his hand with distaste, "Hoo... I-It seems you've got a bee... Do you want to donate that, wot?" I watched with slight interest as Bones handed over the bee to the shaking owl. It seems I wasn't the only one with a slight fear for the miniature creatures of the wild.

The female soon approached me, smiling at me cheerfully, "Hello there! You must be new to town! I'm Celeste, I run the observatory upstairs, so if you want to gaze at the stars or spot constellations, just go upstairs!" I nodded, smiling back at her, before she glanced at the other owl, who was hastily stuffing the bee inside a container, "That idiot there is my brother, Blathers. He runs the museum. He talks too much, so careful when you donate anything. Anyway, downstairs is Brewster's, where you can get a coffee and just hang out with your friends. Also, on Saturday nights, a special performer comes to perform!" She sighed dreamily, while I raised my eyebrows.

"Um... Right. Thank you." I muttered, forcing another smile, before glancing back to Goldie, "What's happening with Goldie?"

"Don't worry, Louis, squeaky!" Dora answered me, smiling encouragingly, "You go finish introducing yourself to everyone, Bones and I will take Goldie to Nook's. We'll tell him you're almost done." I nodded in thanks, before counting. Bob, Cube, Mitzi, Rosie, Wolfgang, Static, Purrl, Dora, Kabuki (I wasn't exactly eager to talk to him, but I'm counting him), Goldie and Bones. Two thirds done... I drew out my map, looking at the other 4 residents. Roald, Nibbles, Tank and Portia.

Celeste interrupted my thinking, telling me, "If you haven't met Roald and Tank yet, they're both down in Brewster's! As for Nibbles, I saw heading over to the Pierview Diner earlier... Portia is in the museum, you'll find her in one of the exhibits. She's a keen lover of fossils at the moment, so probably in the dinosaur exhibit..."

I nodded, smiling once more in thanks, before walking towards the staircase leading down. What lay in wait from Roald and Tank?


	11. Brewster's Cafe and a History Lesson

Brewster's Cafe and a History Lesson

The tasty smell of coffee greeted my nose as I descended the wooden steps into Brewster's Cafe. It was a small room, a bar immediately to my right, a couple of tables straight in front of me and a large stage dominating most of the right area. Behind the counter was a green bird, a pigeon it seems, with glasses and a moustache wiping a mug. He glanced at me curiously as I entered, almost suspiciously, before resuming his duties.

I then glanced to one of the tables, where a rhino and a penguin were sat, talking and laughing loudly. I approached them, trying to work out which would be Roald, and which would be Tank. The rhino, who was facing the doorway, looked up as I approached, also causing the penguin to turn his head. "Yo, what's up, kerPOW?" The rhino asked, barely pronouncing the 't' of 'what'.

My immediate thought was the word 'chav', but I wasn't going to judge someone I just met, so I forced a smile and responded, "Hey. I'm Louis, I'm new here, and Nook told me to go and meet everyone in town." I considered for a moment, before outstretching my hand for the rhino to take, which he did. Tightly. It hurt my hand.

"Ahhh, so you're the new guy I've been hearing about, b-b-buddy." The penguin commented, before accepting my hand as I directed it to him. His grip was also tight, and I could see his muscles clearly. It was quite creepy on a penguin. "Nice to meetcha, I'm Roald and this is Tank, b-b-buddy." He nodded briefly to the rhino, before eying my upper arms in search for muscle. I wasn't very muscular, at all.

"Hey, you tried Brewster's coffee yet, kerPOW?" Tank asked, leaning back on his chair, his arms behind his head as he examined me closely. I shook my head, and Tank looked surprised, "Woah, really? You gotta try it. Only two hundred bells, and the best drink in town, much better than the awful coffee Pierview Diner sells, kerPOW."

"Here, I'll buy ya one, b-b-buddy. " Roald offered, and without waiting for my obvious declination, he jogged over to the bar, where he exchanged a few words with the pigeon, starting with: "Oi, Brewster!"

"So, whatcha think of Honevray so far, kerPOW?" I returned my attention to Tank, who had spoken, showing no sign of the chair creaking beneath him, under strain from the awkward position. I heard the sound of liquid pouring from behind me.

"It's... different." I admitted, unsure of how to answer, before pulling over a chair from the other table and sitting down, "I don't really know how to describe it, it hasn't sunk in... I got onto a bus expecting to go home, and I'm suddenly brought to a place where talking animals exist, I have my own house, I've got a job... Ugh, it's so confusing..."

"Uh-huh." Tank nodded, pretending he'd heard what I had said, before resuming to a normal sitting position, "Hey, Liam, do you like sports, kerPOW?" I sighed irritably, both at the mistake of my name and the fact he didn't care about my own problems. Instead he brought up sport, definitely a chav... Fantastic.

I decided to answer anyway, "No... Not really. Why?"

"Ah, you're a lazy." Tank sighed, rolling his eyes, before sipping his own coffee, "Hate for sport, but a love for food." He glanced pointedly at my stomach. Great, another person pointing it out, stupid animals... "Well, I recommend ya turn some of that fat into muscle by exercising with Roald and I some time, kerPOW." I blushed furiously, turning away to see Roald returning with my coffee.

"One coffee, on the house." He said dramatically, shoving the cup into my hands, before literally falling onto his chair, sighing deeply, "So, what did I miss, b-b-buddy?"

"I was just telling Louis that-"

"I was just leaving." I interrupted, cutting the rhino off. I ignored his look of surprise, before smiling fakely, "Nice meeting you two, but I need to go and meet Portia and Nibbles. Later." Draining my coffee in one gulp, ignoring my now burning throat, I hastily headed up the stairs and towards the fossil exhibit.

As I crossed the hall, I noticed Blathers was nowhere to be seen, nor Goldie, Bones or Dora. I quickly headed over the dinosaur mat and entered the door. Huge bone structures filled the room, forming the shape of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. I noticed some were missing parts, but the room was still very impressive.

I lowered my eyes from the T-Rex exhibit to see a black and white, Dalmatian, dog standing nearby, gazing at one of the dinosaurs with admiration. I approached her, and before I could speak, she calmly commented, "Aren't these exhibits just beautiful, ruffian?" I closed my mouth again, considering the question. I looked up to the dust-free models, they were quite... magnificent. Portia seemed to sense how I felt, and continued, "You feel it too. It is nice to meet another who has interest in the world as it used to be, ruffian."

Silence fell, but the dog didn't seem to be bothered by my lack of speech, but I decided it would be polite to introduce myself, "Yes... I've always liked history... I'm Louis, I'm new to Honevray."

"Ah." Portia replied simply, continuing to stare at the exhibits. I was rather taken back by her single word, but... It didn't sound rude, as it should; she just said all she needed to say with that one word. "I am Portia, ruffian." She added, confirming what I had assumed, as Celeste had already told me she would be here.

"Erm... Nice to meet you." I commented in confusion, unsure of what to even say to this girl.

"I understand." Portia suddenly said, causing me to frown in confusion, "I'm difficult to talk to. Don't try to share my interests if you don't want to, ruffian."

"No... I'm not pretending, I like history."

Portia turned and smiled warmly at me, a complete surprise to me from my first impression. "Thank you." She said, before the smile faded and she returned to staring at the fossils, "Then will you be interested in helping me complete the fossil collection, ruffian?"

I frowned at this, "How can I help? I don't have a clue where any of the pieces will be." Portia smiled at this, before taking something out of her pocket. A small rock with strange markings, and I could see the familiar button that meant it would change into something completely different when placed on the floor.

"Honevray is a historic village." Portia began to explain, slowly walking down the aisle of exhibits, me following warily, "Built on the foundations of many rare, exciting discoveries. Every bone you see in this hall was found in Honevray's earth, dug up by many of my ancestors in the years before my existence. And I promised my own parents when they left that I would pursue the goal to discover everything, and this fossil in my hands is the first step to that." She then, surprisingly, handed the fossil over to me. I accepted it, looking back to her at a loss for words as she said, "So accept this as a promise of friendship and trust, and also as a promise to help me. Give it to Blathers, donate it, and I will know that you kept to it, ruffian."

With that, she stepped past me, leaving me alone in the large hall to think about her words.


	12. The Pierview Diner

The Pierview Diner

I shivered slightly as I walked through the forest; the temperature had certainly dropped since I entered the museum. The sky was completely white; it looked like it would snow overnight, and set... My mind suddenly recalled making a snowman with my parents back at home... My mum making me a hot chocolate... Snowball fights with my friends, helping my dad clear the drive from snow...

Tears sprung to my eyes once more, and I was forced to stop to wipe them away, just as a cold blast of wind whipped into me, causing me to shield my eyes as I forced myself to calm down. When the wind finally died down, I lowered my hand, surprised to see the red and white cat, Kabuki, leaning against a tree, watching me. We both remained silent, before I asked coldly, "What are you doing here?"

Kabuki shrugged slightly, "I was interested in meeting the newest resident, though I can tell it probably wasn't worth my time with that tone of greeting."

"You threw a bee nest at us, and Goldie ended up injured," I reminded him, still in the same tone as I glared at him, "What do you expect?" Kabuki frowned, showing genuine confusion. He opened his mouth to speak, before closing it again. He stepped forward from the tree, approaching me curiously, his feet making no sound on the grass beneath us.

"There are no residents here that look anything like me," The cat replied, a frown still on his face, "So it's interesting how you said I threw a bee nest at you, when I didn't. I've been in my house all afternoon, so either you're just accusing me because you're embarrassed about knocking one out a tree, or someone painted their face with red stripes."

I rolled my eyes, "Do you seriously think I'm gonna believe it wasn't you?" Kabuki simply shrugged, annoying me even more, so I continued, "I saw you. Your red and white stripes are obvious, and who exactly would get away with painting their face and still looking like you? It was a cat." Kabuki still looked genuinely confused, "Who was it then?!"

Now it was the cat's turn to roll his eyes, and he said, "I don't know! Let's just keep this conversation civil. I was interested in being friends with you, but I seriously don't know who did it. Goldie is a good friend of mine, I wouldn't hurt her. And... I don't know, Bob?" I thought of the purple cat, and shook my head.

"You shouldn't be telling me this, anyway," I sighed slightly, my anger for the cat subsiding; he looked genuinely confused, "Tell Goldie. Tell her and Dora it wasn't you, but innocent until proven guilty, I guess. I'm Louis anyway. Nice to meet you, Kabuki." Kabuki nodded lightly, before extending his paw. I considered for a moment, before taking it, withdrawing it shortly after.

After saying goodbye, I continued towards the Pierview Diner, unsure of what to think about Kabuki. I'm sure I'd seen him throw the bees nest, who else could it have been? But... He seemed innocent. I didn't know what to believe, but knowing this place, the medicine at Nook's would magically heal Goldie, so she'd be fine. I couldn't see pain existing in this place, it was too happy.

The beach soon came into view, and I saw my house in the distance on my right, and emptiness filled my heart once more at the thought of living on my own. I pushed the thoughts out of my head again, remembering how it had upset me just before meeting Kabuki, and headed to the left, where a long pier could be seen.

I soon found myself in a large room full of pleasant aromas, yet with only one customer, a bluey green squirrel with yellow freckles and big buck teeth. I began to head over there, before an ostrich approached me, saying – snapping, rather, "Welcome. What do you want?"

Taken aback by the abruptness of her greeting, I replied nervously, "U-Uh, I came to speak to Nibbles. Who are you?"

The ostrich rolled her eyes, before replying shortly, "Soap. Waitress at the Pierview Diner. Go on then." She then hastily walked away, before slipping on a bar of soap. I heard her scream as she skidded through the door into the kitchen. I stopped myself laughing at the irony of Soap slipping on soap, before heading over to the blue/green squirrel, who was quickly devouring some kind of pasta dish.

"Hey." I said as I approached the table, causing the squirrel to quickly drop her fork into a bowl, causing a loud clang sound. She almost looked guilty as I continued, "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I'm Louis, new to Honevray."

"S-Sorry, niblet!" The squirrel exclaimed, pushing her half-eaten meal away from her, looking rather pained at parting with her meal, "I'm... uh... I'm full now, niblet. I didn't mean for you to see me eating like such a big." Her shoulders slumped and she looked at the table, she looked quite cute, and I couldn't help but smile at her attempt.

"Don't worry, I love food too." I laughed as I sat down next to her, which cheered her up a bit, before jokingly saying, "Which is quite obvious... Anyway, you're Nibbles, right?" I was surprised at myself for saying that first part, but I didn't care.

Nibbles giggled, before pulling the pasta back towards her, but began to eat it slower, "Oh, yes! I'm Nibbles, how rude of me to not introduce myself, Niblet! A-And no, it's not obvious at all, niblet!" I raised my eyebrows at her attempt to change my mind, "And either way, you look cute, niblet!" I laughed, smiling at her.

"Uh... Thank you, I think." I replied, before falling into an awkward silence.

"So... Did you say you're moving in?" Nibbles asked, her tone suddenly changing to almost worried.

"Yes..."

Nibbles fell into silence, before nodding quickly, continuing her food, forgetting to eat slowly, but wolfing it down once more. I frowned, before asking, "I've been receiving that kind of attitude since I got here. What's so strange about me moving here?" Nibbles stopped with her eating, looking nervous all of a sudden. A deep voice answered from behind me.

"'Cause we don't see humans around here, boy, that's why!" I turned my head to see an octopus wearing a chef's uniform and holding a ladle. He approached me, "The name's Topas, the chef here at the Pierview Diner. You humans are a rare breed in this place." He eyed me curiously, idly tapping his head with the ladle.

I stared at him in confusion, before responding with, "But why? All I did was catch the wrong bus... How did I end up here? Why didn't Kapp'n and Rover let me off the bus? Why would you all be destroyed if I had left?" Topas rolled his eyes at the stream of questions, before smacking me hard on the head with the ladle. I winced as tears sprung to my eyes.

"One question at a time, boy!" The chef snapped, withdrawing his lethal ladle, "You're lucky I have the time to answer them all. First, because most humans don't see the bus, it's incredible that you did. You couldn't leave the bus because it was physically impossible, and Kapp'n would be in big trouble if he let you. As for the last question, I cannot say."

I rolled my eyes in frustration, "I don't understand! How can you not tell me?"

Topas fell into silence, staring at me oddly, before mumbling, "I think it's time you returned to your job, boy."


	13. A Fishing Lesson

A Fishing Lesson

The sky was dark when I finally returned to Nook's Cranny, and a new feeling seemed to strike the town. No longer happy, cheerful and alive... But now peaceful, quiet... Creepy. But at the same time, it was still beautiful, the chilly breeze causing the flowers that dotted the ground to wave around smoothly in a captivating pattern.

But as I opened the door to Nook's Shop, I found the raccoon glaring at me impatiently, "What on earth took you so long?!" Nook snapped in surprise, "Well, you certainly aren't one to get things dne quickly, but at least you know everyone now. Right, your first job is to plant these flowers and trees around the shop..." He handed me six bags and four... saplings. "Here's a shovel, dig a small hole for each of them and pour the seeds in, and flowers pretty much immediately appear. Same with sapling, but that will take a few days."

I nodded, feeling too rushed to respond, before quickly leaving the shop, looking for an empty-looking patch of land. I soon found a large bit behind the shop with just dirt. I took out my borrowed shovel, and dug what looked to be a perfect size and depth hole in the ground, the dirt seeming to vanish into nowhere. I blinked, yet again wondering how this world was possible, but talking animals weren't exactly realistic...

I took out a packet of red cosmos, ripping it open and pouring the contents into the ground, before shovelling the dirt back inside. Immediately, three stems began to grow out of the ground, eventually becoming a bud and opening to become three perfect red cosmos all neatly together. And it all took very little effort... Cool.

I planted all the plants like this, and soon there was a small patch of red, yellow and white flowers dotted around, as well as four new-growing saplings. Pleased with my work, I returned to Nook's Cranny to see him lifting a big package towards me, shoving it into my arms. Stumbling back from the weight, Nook quickly yelled, "DON'T DROP IT!" I quickly stayed still, arms quivering from the huge package, and Nook sighed in relief, "Now find the button and put it in your pocket. Deliver that to Static, yes?"

I sighed, rolling my eyes, before shrinking the package and placing it in my pocket, before leaving the shop. I wondered where the squirrel could be, because he wasn't in his house when I first met him. And sure enough, when I reached the location of his house, it was empty. I wondered if I should just leave the package by the door, but decided against it and turned away. I walked a bit south, before spotting the purple squirrel leaning against a tree, fishing rod in hands beside the river.

I approached him, no longer nervous like I was when meeting everyone for the first time, "Hey Static." The squirrel glanced around, acknowledging me with a nod. He then reached into his own pocket and threw another rod to me, which I caught. I frowned, "Uh... Sorry, I'm working for Nook. I don't really-"

"There's a shadow there, krzzt." Static interrupted softly, pointing to a rather large shadow hovering in the water nearby, "I lent you my rod and pointed out the target, and taught you how to fish. My return gift for what you have for me. Now throw the line into the water, and wait for that fish to pull the floater under, and then pull, krrzt."

I nodded uncertainly, before throwing the line into the water as he instructed. The dark shadow slowly turned to face it, before darting towards it. My hands began to sweat in anticipation, and Static watched me closely. The fish suddenly darted at the rod, and Static said loudly, "Don't pull until it goes under, krzzt!"

The warning was useful, for the fish had simply pecked it and withdrawn, slowly circling it. It pecked again, causing me to tense. A third time... A fourth time... BAM! The floater was pulled under and I quickly pulled with all my strength, and soon a rather large, dark fish ended up in my arms. It flopped about helplessly.

"A black bass, fairly common, krrzt." Static commented, before approaching and pinching the caudal fin, causing it to shrink and vanish into my pocket.

"I can put live animals in my pocket?!" I exclaimed in surprise, looking into the small pouch for a sign of the flopping fish, before saying, "Uh, thank you... Static. Anyway, your package." I withdrew the large box from my pocket, almost dropping it, before handing it to the squirrel, who quickly pocketed it himself.

"Thanks, krrzt. See you around." He nodded to me, before picking up his rod and walking away, large tail bobbing behind him.


	14. Digging and Falling

Digging and Falling

As I returned to Nook's, I suddenly realised that I had forgotten to give the fishing rod back to Static. I sighed in annoyance at myself, making a mental note to give it back to him when he next saw him. As I pulled open the rotting door once more, Nook quickly shoved a rolled-up carpet into my hand, "Welcome back, welcome back! Now, deliver this carpet to Wolfgang, yes?"

I sighed, pocketing the carpet, before replying dryly, "Yup. Sure thing, boss." I turned straight back around and left the shop, wondering where I would find the wolf. As with Static, he had been outside when I first met him. But, I seemed to be having a lucky day, as right at the spot where Static had been fishing, the wolf was now sat.

I approached him, announcing myself with, "Hello again, Wolfgang." The wolf glanced up at me, nodding to me, exactly the same response Static had given. I took the carpet from my pocket saying, "Tom Nook sent me to deliver this... A carpet." I stepped forward, and the wolf climbed to his feet, taking the carpet.

"Thank you, snarrrl." Wolfgang responded, before saying, "I see that Static taught you how to fish? Allow me to pay you a similar favour." He took out a spade from his pocket, passing it to me, "Time for a fossil hunt, snarrrl." I glanced at the shovel, adjusting to the weight and feel of it, before glancing around.

"Um... How do we know where to dig?"

"You look for cracks in the ground." Wolfgang replied as he walked forward, keen eyes scanning the ground. I did too, but I only saw grass and old leaves, but Wolfgang stopped, pointing. I followed his paw, seeing a strange imprint in the ground, an 'X' shape. The wolf approached it, before saying, "The 'X' marks the spot, snarrrl. Go on, dig."

I approached the mark, nervous; I'd never been good at digging. Maybe planting the flowers and trees had just been beginner's luck, and no-one had been there to watch. I took a deep breath, before sending the spade down at the ground, and just like with flowers, a perfect hole just appeared with little effort. But beside the hole was a grey, smooth and circular object. I recognised it as the same type of object Portia had given me in the museum, which reminded me that I had to donate that to Blathers.

Wolfgang stepped forward, leaning down and picking up the fossil, gazing at it, "Hm. Go and donate it at the museum, snarrrl, and if it's already donated, this should pay off a big chunk of your loan..." He passed it to me, and I smiled slightly, pocketing it.

"Thanks Wolfgang..." I nodded slightly.

"No worries, snarrrl." The wolf replied, nodding back before turning and walking away. It was only when he'd vanished from view that I glanced down to the spade still in my hands, realising I'd again forgotten to give the equipment back. Great. That's both the shovel and fishing rod.

Pocketing the equipment anyway, I turned, and hastily headed back to Nook's Cranny, yet again pulling open the rotting door. I was getting tired; I just wanted to sleep... Relax... Get used to things, but Nook was keeping my mind on work and other things. Too much was happening at once; it had been an incredibly long day.

Nook was busy scribbling things down on a paper when I entered, not even looking up, "...Hm? Oh... Louis... Yes, take that box of clothes there down to the Able Sisters, please..." He quickly nodded over to a large box full of clothing, and he added, "Stuff sold to me by villagers, yes? The Able Sisters is Honevray's tailor shop... Go introduce yourself."

I sighed, picking up the box, wavering on the spot, before looking for the button to shrink the box. But Nook laughed, adding, "It's an old box, yes? No button on it. Labour work, hm?" I glared at him with hatred, before opening the door with my foot, walking back out into the cold air.

Trying to balance the box with one harm, I reached into my pocket, fumbling around for the map. Now the more difficult task... Using my mouth as help, I unfolded the paper, looking for the Able Sisters. F1. Right at the other end of town. I sighed, stuffing the map back into my pocket, before heading to the south of town, approaching the cliff...

But then... Deja vu.

Purple cat running.

Being hit from behind.

Falling off cliff.

Bang.

Ow.

Seeing stars.

I pushed Bob off of me in annoyance, not even looking at him as I quickly threw the clothes back into the box. Bob sat up, scratching his head, "That was more fun than last time, pthhhpth!" I shot a dirty glance at him, and the cat replied in a sing-song voice, "Wow, sooooomebooody's gruuuumpy." I replied simply by throwing a sock from the box at him, landing conveniently on the cat's pointy ear.

Picking up the box again, I turned away from Bob, continuing my shortened journey to F1. Bob frowned, before following me, "Hey, Louis, pthhhpth? What's up?"

I sighed, glancing back at the cat, "Nothing. I just want to finish my job so I can go home and sleep. It's been a long day, and I still have a headache from the first time you knocked me off that cliff." I broke off, speeding up his pace, which only caused Bob to copy him.

"Aw, pthhhpth. Cheer up, Charlie!"

"My name's Louis."

"Yeah, but Charlie is alliteration... I actually don't understand that phrase, pthhhpth, do you?"

I turned to stare at him, before asking, "What the heck are you on about, Bob?!" I sighed, before responding with, "No, I don't understand that phrase, but my mum used it all the time..." I broke off, glancing at the ground, before turning and walking away, Bob following, "Why are you following me?"

"Because we're friends, pthhhpth!"

I stopped in my tracks, glancing back at the cat who was smiling happily at me, the kind of smile a child gets when he or she finds their first school friend. I hesitated, before smiling slightly back, "Yeah. I guess we are."


	15. The Able Sisters

Thanks for adding this to your favourites, and reviewing everyone. Just so you know, reviews make me incredibly happy. I don't care if you review every chapter, even if just to say 'Great update'. So please do. And constructive criticism is also welcomed. But flamers? Go read another story. 8DD

The Able Sisters

Eventually, I reached the far bottom of town, right beside the beach. I stopped, gazing at the waves as they gently crashed against the millions of sand granules that made up this relaxing area of Honevray. I had never lived anywhere near the sea, and the only time I'd been to the beach was when I was around five years old. Yet here I was... My house right beside it, somewhere I could visit every day.

"Hey, look! A coconut!" I glanced at the excited cat beside me, watching run onto the sand and pick up a strange fruit that was lying on the sand. He brought it back hurriedly, shoving it on top of the clothes in the box, "Sell it, it can help pay off your loan!"

I sighed, before saying, "Bob... Please take that thing off and just hold it for now, you'll make the clothes smell bad." I looked away from the thing in disgust, I hated coconuts, "Anyway... No time to pick things up. I need to get this job on so I can finally get some sleep." I turned right, heading for the far western edge of town, the cliff towering above.

Eventually, I could make out a colourful, fancy looking building titled 'The Able Sisters'. Bob dashed ahead, opening the door and holding for me. I nodded a thanks, before walking into the building, quickly putting the box down on the floor. Looking back up tiredly, I found myself in an even more colourful room than the outside, full of clothing, umbrellas, hats and other accessories.

A blue hedgehog soon rushed over to me, looking quite shocked, before smiling happily, "Oh my gosh! A new resident! Welcome! I am Mabel, and that there is my sister, Sable." She gestured to a brown hedgehog with glasses that was sat behind a sewing machine. She glanced up, staring at me with cold eyes, before returning to her work.

"Um... Thanks." I replied uncertainly, watching Sable, wondering why she had looked at me so coldly. I finally looked back to Mabel, saying, "I'm Louis... A new resident to Honevray. And, uh, I have a delivery of sold clothes from Tom Nook." I gestured to the box, and Mabel quickly bent down and rummaged through them.

"Why does it smell of coconut and beach?" She asked in disgust, perking her eyebrows at me, before saying, "Oh well... We wash clothes first anyway, can you bring it out back for me please?" I nodded, picking the box up once more, and following the friendly hedgehog into a store-room at the back of the shop.

After putting it down, I followed Mabel back into the main shop. "So, how long do you intend to stay here for?" She asked brightly, smiling at me before sorting out clothes that had fallen off stands and other chores. I frowned at the question.

And... My heart sank... It just clicked. I now live in a town full of nothing but animals. No humans. That means I can't have a girlfriend... I can't get married, can't have children, I can't live a human life. I'm separated from my own world. I can't escape. I have to live here my whole life... Alone. Sure, I can make friends like Bob, but...

I am alone.

"Are you alright?" Mabel asked, peering at me in concern, "You've gone pale... Do you want to sit down?" She outstretched her paw to place upon my shoulder comfortingly, but I flinched, backing away. I turned, seeing Bob right behind me, looking confused and worried. Sable looked up from her sewing machine, gazing at me with her... beady eyes... animal eyes... Surrounded by animals...

I stepped backwards, and tripped on a clothes stand, falling... My head whacked against the door handle and I felt myself losing consciousness for the third time that day. I fell to the floor. Mabel and Bob were stood above me.

Hedgehog and cat...

Not friends...

Animals.


	16. Bobby, Pepper and Papper

I just realised I forgot to answer reviews.

reviewwiz- Ahh, thank you for that nice review! I hope you've had chance to read all of it by now. =P

paperbrain- Thanks. It includes features from all 3 of the games, really. It has the police station, post office, dump etc. from gamecube. It has the holidays, town hall (and other things) from Wild World, and other things. It has the bus and holidays from City Folk. As for the diner and other unrecognisable things, I made them up, along with the characters (Topas/Soap/3 characters in this chapter).

Jesteress- Thank you for READING it. =P

fairiescool- Thanks, don't worry, I will keep updating. ^^

Bobby, Pepper and Papper

I groaned, opening my eyes. Everything above me was fuzzy, and I had a thudding headache. My heart leapt! Was I back home? Had I hit my head? Had it all been a dream? But... My memories soon came back, and I remembered being in the Able Sisters, and falling backwards, Bob and Mabel standing above me.

Suddenly, a dog popped her face in front of mine, shining a torch in my eyes. I scrunched them out, crying out as I rolled over... Straight off the bed and onto the floor. I hit my head again, and moaned in pain. Rough paws grabbed me, putting me back on the bed, snapping, "Stay still!"

I looked away from the dog, lying back down, not wanting to be here, "I want to go home."

The dog rolled her eyes, before barking, "Not yet. You need to rest. You had quite a nasty fall. I'm Bobby, the police dog and also first-aider of this town. It's my job to get you back to full health, accidents like this usually don't happen. Mind you, neither does freaking out."

I turned my head away from the dog, remaining silent.

"Everything you tell me remains confidential."

"I don't want to talk to you." I replied coldly, still not looking at her.

"Then who do you want to talk to?"

"A human!" I snapped, turning back to face her, glaring, "I'm fed up of being here! I've been in this place for... three hours and I'm sick of it! I want my life back! I want to be with humans! You don't understand what it's like to be alone. Surrounded by animals that shouldn't even be able to talk, let alone live like humans."

"And why not?"

"Because you're animals!" I exclaimed, infuriated, "Animals! You're not meant to talk! You're meant to be pets! Food! Pests! Fierce! You're... You're not meant to be like me."

"Why should humans be the only ones that can live your life?" Bobby asked calmly, no emotion on her face as she listened to my ranting, "You are an animal too, we all are. Why... Why should humans be above us?"

I stared at her, before sighing, "Animals don't talk. Animals don't walk." Bobby sighed, climbing to her feet and approaching a cupboard, opening it. I leaned forward, wincing, seeing a shelf of books. She took one out, walking back to me, handing it to me. I looked at the cover, seeing a picture of humans and animals all walking together. The title read 'How it used to be.'

"They used to." The dog told me, sitting back down in her chair by my bed. I gazed at the picture, nothing but a painting, a very old painting. "Animals and humans... There used to be no difference. This is going back centuries. Humans decided they were more important; they started a huge civil war. They isolated us from their world, making an invisible barrier. We couldn't see them, they couldn't see us. But there was an error in their plan. While no human could cross the barrier, we could cross theirs. And so, every day, Kapp'n and Rover drive the bus to a station, hoping to find a human."

I took all this in, still staring at the cover, before asking quietly, "Why do they want to find humans?"

"We may be forgotten in human minds." Bobby replied, tilting her head at me, "But no way is it forgotten by animals. We're trying to make communities with humans and animals. There already are several towns out there with humans living amongst animals. And... Here, we have Josh, and now you."

I had actually completely forgotten about Josh, amongst all the animals. Okay, maybe I could make at least one friend in this town, and he'd understand me better than any animal, but even so. "So... That makes it okay to just kidnap me and force me to move in here?"

Bobby rolled her eyes, snapping, "That was a mistake! You got on the bus, you saw it... Once you saw Kapp'n and Rover, it was too late to turn back. They are very guilty for it, but you're the one that got on, it wasn't their fault."

I rolled my own eyes, "Maybe if they put where their bus was going, it wouldn't have happened! It arrived at the time the bus I wanted to catch arrived, how was I meant to know where it went?"

"Look. No-one is to blame." Bobby sighed, calming herself, "Wasn't your fault, wasn't ours. You're here now, you just have to accept it. Take that book, you can leave now. Just take the rest of the night easy. And I've told Nook to-"

"A message for a certain Louis!" A peppy, chirpy and feminine voice interrupted, and Bobby and I glanced to the door, seeing two small pelicans standing in the doorway. One dressed in pink and female, the one that had spoken. The other in blue and male. The female strolled in, giving me a note, and said loudly, "From Mr. Tom Nook! He wishes you luck in your recovery and tells-"

"Did you read that private note by any chance, Pepper?" Bobby asked, raising her eyebrows sceptically. Pepper blushed, looking at the ground.

"U-Uh..." The male asked, "E-Excuse my sister... She's r-really nosey..."

"HEY!" Pepper suddenly exclaimed, turning to him furiously, "I'm not nosey, Papper! Don't you dare call me nosey!"

"O-Okay!" Papper recoiled, flinching from his sister's anger, "C-Come on... L-Let's go." He grabbed his sister's wing, and tugged her outside.

I turned over the unsealed envelope, taking out the note, beginning to read.

"_Dear Louis,_

_I am very sorry to hear about your injury while working for me. I hope that you quickly recover! However... You were pretty much done with your job anyway. But some other things you should know about this town... Writing letters. When you're up to it, come by my shop, and I shall supply you with a free pack of four letters._

_Residents of Honevray love to receive mail, though some aren't quite as... discreet as others, and it may be spread around. Still, we all reply as soon as possible, and expect others to do the same. Kind of our policy, you know? Go to the post office, which is run by Pepper and Papper (Warning, Pepper probably has already read this), and give them the letter._

_Secondly... The Bulletin Board. It's by the town hall, and contains notices for all residents, about events, festivals and special visitors. Anyone can add notices, so keep checking regularly! Anyway, your last two tasks would have been to send a letter to Purrl alerting her of a special offer at my shop, and to post a note on the Bulletin Board to advertise._

_Of course, if you feel up to it, you can do those tasks to increase your pay. But for now, I have to let you go, and I have taken 1000 Bells off of your loan. If you want another 400 paid, please complete the tasks I mentioned._

_Many thanks, and best wishes,_

_Tom Nook_

_Nook's Cranny_

I sighed, pocketing the letter, before climbing off of my bed. I was finally free of Nook, and could go home and sleep. I dizzily stepped forward, waiting for my vision to clear again. I then left the building, not glancing back at Bobby, and raised my eyebrows. The moon was high in the sky, bugs were making weird, creepy noises and I was standing in thick snow.

I felt so alone.


	17. Four O'Clock

Four O'Clock

I opened the door to my house, closing it behind me, glancing around the small box of a room. I walked over to the candle, picking it up and lighting it, before heading up the old stairs into the dark attic. I placed it on my bedside table, before approaching the window and looking out. The door to my neighbour's house opened, and I saw Bob outside the door. He seemed to glance towards my house, before walking inside and closing the door behind him. His light was soon extinguished, and nothing but snow and darkness covered Honevray.

I couldn't get rid of this feeling, the feeling of being alone, nobody there to help you, no family, just animals that shouldn't even exist. How am I meant to deal with this? I'm sixteen years old; I'm not ready to live all alone. What would my parents be doing right now? They'd be trying to ring my mobile, which I'd accidentally left on my desk at home. They'd be calling neighbours, friends, family, anyone who might know where I am.

Then, the police would be involved, search parties would be sent, my mum would cry on the sofa as my dad comforted her. My granny would ramble on about how I was never brought up properly, and this is my mother's fault. My granddad would put the blame on 'kids these days', and ramble about that. Then my dad would shout at them to shut up.

My fist suddenly connected with the wall in frustration, the force causing the window to fly open, a blast of snow from the windowsill and sky covering me. I fell backwards, the strong wind whipping through my room. I quickly pulled the window shut, shielding my eyes. But it wouldn't shut, and simply flapped open again.

"Arrrrgh!" I exclaimed in frustration, returning to my bed, grabbing the duvet and walking back downstairs. I lay on the cold floor, shivering as I curled up inside the duvet, just wanting the night to end. Two hours later, after several moments of shifting around and shaking with cold, I fell into a deep, uneasy sleep. And nothing but my family and what they must be going through invaded my mind...

But just a few hours later, I awoke. I groaned, feeling as if I'd not fallen asleep at all. I staggered to my feet, using the wall for support. I could hardly feel my feet, and my hands felt like blocks of ice. I gazed at them, seeing they were almost completely white. I approached the window, making out my face, which was just as pale.

I sighed, hating my life at the moment, before pushing the front door open, seeing that it had stopped snowing. The moon was still up, and I wondered how much time had even passed. I trudged through the snow, thinking back to what was said to him yesterday... Yes. The town hall had a night-clerk too, and in there, it would be warm.

Warmth... Sweet warmth... My head nodded heavily, and my vision faded as I almost fell asleep while walking, and I wavered dangerously on my feet. But I forced myself to keep going.

Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch.

Footsteps on snow sounded different to dry leaves.

Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, _snap_.

I stopped. What made that snap?

Snap.

I hadn't even moved! I looked behind me, and my eyes widened. There was a... human dressed in a cloak, standing by a tree. I stepped back, not liking the look of this guy, who was he? I took another step, and WHAM! My head hit a tree branch, causing me to see stars. My vision faded again, and so did my hearing.

What... What was happening? I can't... I can't think straight. Cloaked guy in front of me, words reached my ears. What words? They... They didn't make sense in my mind... Mind... Where am I going again? I'm so cold... My hands hurt. But I can't feel them... Just an aching pain at the end of my wrists... Wow I'm shivering a lot.

The guy approached me, and he lowered his hood. Wait... I recognise that face. I mumbled something, mumbled his name... Did sound come out? I don't know... I can't hear myself. Do I have... hyperthermia or something? Or maybe I'm just going insane.

Oh right...

The guy. What was his name again? Josh... The other human... Someone who could actually help me... Maybe. But what was he doing here? I can't feel anything. It's snowing again. I'm cold. Josh... Josh is next to me, he's talking to me... He gave me his cloak, I can't be bothered to put it on... Maybe it will make me warm? Josh is leading me somewhere... Ugh, do I have to walk?

We soon, I think it was soon anyway, arrived at a large mansion, and Josh opened the door, letting me inside. The house was warm. He led me to a room with a lit fire and a bed nearby, and I lay down. I blinked once... twice... and sleep hit me once more. A proper sleep. I was too tired to even think about my family, so no nightmares invaded my mind...

When I awoke again, sunlight had lit up the bedroom, and I could actually feel all my limbs. I still felt very tired, and I was shaking, but I felt better. I sat up, sneezing and coughing a few times. The noise soon attracted footsteps, and Josh entered the room, standing near the entrance, gazing at me.

"Good to see you awake." He said calmly, next walking to the winter and gazing out over the snow-filled town, "You were in quite a bad way, a bad idea to wander around in a blizzard with no warm clothes on. If I hadn't found you, you may have even died from being trapped out there, or gotten very sick. You've not had a good first day, have you? First knock yourself out in the Able Sisters, and now nearly die of cold."

I sighed, listening to all of this, replying in a croaky voice, "S-Sorry, I'm causing nothing but trouble. As for why I was outside, my window broke and my house was freezing... I was going to the town hall, I know it's open all night."

Josh nodded, before sitting down in a chair and watching me, asking, "I see. And why don't you explain what happened in the Able Sisters? Mabel told me you freaked out and knocked yourself out. It wasn't a normal fall." I glanced away at the question, and Josh sighed, before continuing kindly, "You can talk to me, Louis, I know exactly how it feels to move into the world of animals."

I gazed back to him, a boy of the same age as me, yet fully at home in this place, head of a real estate office, and a well-respected member of town. But still a stranger. I sighed myself, I guessed it was time to explain how I felt.


	18. Breaking Through the Barrier

laguzgirl13 - Everyone has their opinion. But perhaps you could give me some reasons why you don't like it? Cause I can't change anything to make this better unless I know how.

Breaking Through the Barrier

I spoke for five minutes straight, hardly pausing for breath, just explaining exactly how I felt and why. Josh remained silent as I spoke, his blue eyes fixed on me as he occasionally nodded, intent on what I was saying. When I finally finished, the room fell into silence as the real-estate owner considered my words.

"I do understand." The boy finally said, which gave me some relief, before he continued, "And I cannot say I know exactly how you feel... For I had no family to miss when I moved here. But as I said before, I know what it's like to discover this secret, of animals and everything. But you have to stop seeing them as just animals. They have the personality of humans; they can do the same thing as humans. It's just appearance. You need to get past the barrier of species, and just accept it. Or this place will just drive you insane. I know, because it almost did for me."

I took in these words, sighing in confusion, before asking meekly, "How did you get past the barrier?"

Josh smiled slightly, before shrugging, "I don't really know. I just woke up one morning, found Static outside my door. And he forced me to let him in. We had a long conversation, and we became friends. You need to make a friend, and you'll find it's a lot easier to live here. What about Bob, he told me that you were his friend? He's one of the friendliest villagers here."

I sighed, thinking of the purple cat who had run into me twice now, "Bob probably thinks I'm a freak now, after what happened in the Able Sisters. But thank you... I-I'll try and become friends with them... Can I leave now, though?" I sat up straighter, pushing the covers of the bed off of me. Josh smiled slightly, and nodded, before he stood up.

"Of course." He said calmly, opening the door, "Just do not think that you have no friends here. I can be your friend if you want me to be." He stared at me seriously, and a faint smile reached my face, before he walked out of the room, leaving me alone with the crackling fire. I climbed out of bed, and soon followed, leaving the huge house.

I was soon walking through the snow, the thickness of it slowing my movement. I wasn't sure what to do now, so I thought I may as well complete the two final tasks for Nook. I changed my direction to North, heading up the ramp to the top level of town, my direction being the far north-west corner of town, where Nook's shop was.

And again, I found myself opening the rotten door, causing the raccoon to look up at me. Tom Nook quickly approached me, "Ah! Louis! Welcome back, hm? I hope you're feeling better, and I again apologise for the accident that happened, yes? I assume you're here for paper?" He quickly headed to the table at the left of the room, picking up a pack of paper.

"It's alright, it wasn't your fault." I replied quietly, smiling slightly, "I'm feeling much better, thanks. And thank you for your help, the job's helped me to get used to Honevray, and the residents here... Yeah, I'm here for the paper. I write to Purrl, right?" The raccoon nodded, before giving me the pack. "Thanks."

I set off again through the snow, somewhat hoping I'd run into one of the animals. And my hopes were soon answered when I heard the breaking of a twig behind me, causing me to glance around. Mitzi was approaching me, smiling shyly. She soon said softly as she came to stand beside me, "Hey Louis... Are you okay? I heard what happened."

I smiled back at her, trying my hardest to push away the thoughts of what she was, who she was. "Yeah, I'm fine thanks. Just a few problems fitting in."

"Want to walk and talk?" The cat asked, and I nodded, and continued the journey to the town hall. Mitzi started the conversation, "Louis, you know we can be friends, right? I know it would be difficult fitting in here, but... I want to help!"

I gazed at the cat, the smile on my face getting wider. Mitzi was a nice person... I paused in my thoughts. A nice person? That's what had just passed my mind. Person. Not animal. I'd... I'd done it. I'd broken the barrier, and my teeth appeared in my smile for the first time since I arrived here, shocked and what I'd achieved so quickly.


	19. Crazy Redd

Chasboy88- Thanks, that means a lot. :)

Melody Python-Veria- I'm glad to hear you love this too, and thank you for favouriting.

Crazy Redd

The next few days passed quickly in Honevray, and it wasn't long before I fit in the town. It was difficult at first, but I now found myself talking to the animals like humans. I had friends now, and it was a good feeling. I thought of my previous home less and less, even though I still did miss it. I accepted that I had to be here, and I finally could move on with my life.

I wrote the letter to Purrl, and I posted a short advertisement on the bulletin board. Nook finished deducting from the loan I had to pay, and waved me off with a smile. I still needed to make quite a lot of money, but at least some of it was paid. I learnt how to make money too, and had gone fishing a few times with Static, and bug-hunting with Bones.

It was now my sixth day here, making it a Thursday. And it was today, that I saw a strange tent set up by the river on the top layer of town. I frowned as I approached it, and went to open the flap.

"Hey, hey!" A voice suddenly exclaimed, and I quickly withdrew my hand, "Easy there, friend! Crazy Redd don't know who you are, or where you came from!" Two glinting eyes stared at me through the gap, but I couldn't make out who this Crazy Redd was, or what he was talking about. There was a moment's silence, before, "You new in town? A human, huh? Haven't seen you around before."

"U-Uh..." I stuttered, "Yeah, I'm new... Who are you, and why are you here?"

Redd laughed as if I'd said the funniest joke in history, "Who am I?! Why, friend, I am the most famous salesman in these parts. My name's Redd, though some prefer to call me Crazy Redd, isn't that just CRAAAZY?!" I flinched slightly at the volume of the last word, before I began to understand how exactly this guy earned the nickname Crazy Redd.

"Um... Yes..." I replied in a mumble, "Just crazy-"

"Speak up!" Redd suddenly snapped, "Redd don't understand you when you're mumbling!"

"Well, if you're a salesman," I snapped back, folding my arms, "Why won't you let me in to see what you're selling?"

"Ohhh, a smart one, aren't ya?" Redd suddenly chortled, before going to open the flap, before drawing back, laughing in a more evil tone, "Can't do that, friend. See? To earn my trust, my family trust, yeah? You need to prove that trust to me by telling me the password. But of course, only members of Redd's family have that password, so sorry! No can do."

I stared at his eyes in disbelief, "What?! How do you get new members if only a few people have your password? They'll eventually lose interest in your shop, and you won't sell anything!"

Redd hesitated at this statement, before responding, "They bought my trust. If you have the bells, you get the trust! However, you're new in town? With a hefty mortgage to pay off, right? Something tells me you're not ready to earn my trust just yet, but maybe when you're loaded with money, I can arrange something. Otherwise, it's just CRAAAAZY!" White teeth flashed as he grinned, before he closed the flap, shutting me out.

I rolled my eyes, and turned away from the tent, seeing Nibbles nearby, watching me. She smiled cheerfully and approached me, "Not letting you in, niblet?" I shook my head, and she continued, "Don't worry, Louis! He's like that with everyone! Besides, I've heard rumours, niblet... According to Portia, not everything in there is real! Portia was trying to help Blathers with the museum, niblet, the painting showroom! And she bought a painting from Redd, and Blathers said it was fake! I don't think I've ever seen him so angry, niblet."

I raised my eyebrows at this, and turned to glance at the squirrel as her blue tail bounced behind her as she walked, "Really? You have con-men here too?" Nibbles nodded vigorously, and I continued, "Wow. Thanks for the warning anyway, if I ever 'earn his trust', at least I'll know better than to buy a fake painting."

Nibbles shrugged slightly, "Well, it's difficult to tell, niblet. Not even Portia could tell the difference between the fake and real, and she's amazing at spotting things like that! And the only way to get these paintings for the museum, is through Redd, niblet... So if you want to help Blathers, you have to take the risk!"

I sighed, nodding in understanding, "I see... Well I can't for a while, anyway... I have three-thousand bells to donate anyway, so I need to go to the town hall."

Nibbles nodded, "Okay! But... Just a suggestion, niblet, but why don't you set up a bank account? You get monthly interest, and when you've saved enough to pay off each mortgage, you can just take it out and pay it all at once. It works much better, niblet."

I frowned, considering this, before smiling, "Thanks Nibbles! I might just do that... I'll see you later."

"Bye, niblet!" She grinned at me, before suddenly, "Oh! Louis, niblet? I forgot to tell you... Friday nights, keep free every week! It's our unofficial town party down at the roost! Everyone goes, and we just talk and have fun! And don't forget, that on Saturdays, K.K Slider plays at the roost, so you may want to check it out! And... Oh yeah, this Saturday... It's Flea Market, niblet! Basically, we visit each others' homes and buy stuff in their house. It's a cool event!"

I considered what she just said, "Right... Party tomorrow night, Flea Market Saturday, K.K Slider Saturday night. Sounds like a busy weekend!"

Nibbles giggled slightly, "Oh! That's nothing compared to some weekends, niblet... We have far bigger events than the Flea Market. Just you wait for next Thursday, April Fools Day!"

I gave her a horrified stare, "Oh no... Honevray celebrates that too?! I think I may just hide in my house for the day."

The squirrel smiled innocently, "Oh, don't worry Louis! We'll get the keys to your house off Nook, niblet!" I glared at her, causing her to flinch, "O-Only joking! But seriously, it's fun! I usually team up with Rosie, Dora, Goldie and Portia! We all go around and prank the boy- Wait, niblet... Why am I telling you this?! You're a boy too, so therefore, you're not invited! Sorry!"

"Oh, thanks." I said sarcastically, before stopping in front of the town hall, smiling, "Well, we'll just see who becomes the next prank king of Honevray, shall we?"

"Work on your wording, niblet." Nibbles replied mischievously, "I think you meant queen, not king. Well, see you later, Louis!" We smiled at each other, before waving and going our separate ways.

I entered the town hall, already forgetting about the mysterious salesman in his tent, and approached the counter, seeing Pelly smiling at me, "Hey Pelly!"

"Good morning, Louis!" The friendly pelican exclaimed, before saying, "How can I help?"

"Uh, yeah..." I replied, "Nibbles said something about opening a bank account. Could I do that please, with an initial deposit of three thousand bells?" Pelly nodded and began writing paperwork, and I continued, "And apparently, there's monthly interest?"

"Oh, yes!" Pelly answered, "On the first day of every month, we write you a letter telling you how much interest you earned. You obviously earn more when you have lots of money in your account, but every bell helps! You can withdraw and deposit money whenever you want, just from this counter. Don't worry, it's one hundred percent safe!"

I nodded, before handing the bag of bells to her, and she stored it under the counter, "Thanks Pelly!"

"No worries. Oh, and Louis? Don't forget to check the bulletin board regularly, it's an easy way to find out what's going on!" I thanked her for the advice, before leaving the town hall, looking to the wooden board nearby.

I glanced at it, seeing a big advertisement:

_**Flea Market**_

_**Sun, Mar 28**_

_It doesn't matter if it has a little dust on it, or even a few cobwebs. If you are in your house today, townies will come by looking for a deal. So pull out those old clothes and fossils from your closet, because they are bringing bells. If you have been eyeing that one special item in one of your townies homes, today is the day to visit them too. If you catch them in their house, speak to them and then choose the item you would like to make an offer on. If you are lucky they will be willing to part with it. Just remember to bring your wallet._

I raised my eyebrows at the advert; it had obviously been used a lot of times, and didn't really make the event seem that great. I'd attend anyway, though there was literally nothing in my house to sell. I looked around the board for other notices, seeing my own advertisement for Nook's Cranny, and a smile reached my lips as I saw the next.

_Welcome to Honevray, Louis! I hope everyone helps you to fit in here, and I'm sure you'll have a great time in the town._

_-Pelly[_

Apart from that, there was nothing of interest, so I turned away, and continued walking around Honevray. I was finally happy, and Honevray was my home.


	20. April Fool's Day Part 1

April Fool's Day- Part 1

(A/N: Due to me forgetting it was April Fool's Day already, I'm skipping Flea Market for now and just going straight to April 1st.)

I didn't get much sleep the previous night, and I groaned to myself when I opened my eyes to sunlight. April 1st. I was rather scared to go outside, but this was the first town event I'd been here for, so I knew that I had to attend. I was going to find someone to go around town with, for my own safety. Being the new guy in town, I expected some of the residents would have a certain trick up their sleeve.

I'd have to be careful.

I quickly back flipped into my clothes. I'd been to visit the Able Sisters, and bought a simple chequered shirt, which was a simple design of black and white squares. It had cost 390 bells, which I had simply picked four apples to buy. In fact, that same day, I'd gone around harvesting quite a lot of apples, and planted a few around my house, and they were starting to grow already. I'd returned to Static and Wolfgang, offering the fishing rod and shovel back, but they told me I could keep them, as they'd already purchased new ones to replace. It was kind of them, and I offered to repay them with Bells, but they refused. So I now have a free fishing rod and shovel, and I must make it up to them somehow. Anyway, with the leftover apples and shells I collected from the beach, I sold them to make quite a lot of Bells. I purchased a 'blue chair' and 'classic desk', two items that happened to be in Nook's Cranny that day. With the refrigerator and cabana wall I'd received on my first day, along with the tape deck, my house now looked somewhat liveable.

I'd told Nook about my broken window, and he had gone to fix it immediately, apologising deeply for the accident and giving me cabana flooring for free, to match my wallpaper. So as you can probably tell, life was really picking up for me, everyone is so friendly. I had attended the party last Friday too, it was very fun. Not everyone was there, and I was told that different animals showed up each week. Last week's guest list was Nibbles, Rosie, Static, Tank, Cube, Dora and Portia. Mabel, Celeste and Pelly had shown up too, as well as obviously Brewster. There was music, dancing, particularly from Rosie and Tank, and just a lot of talking and games. Speaking of Portia, I donated the two fossils I'd found to the museum, which made the Dalmatian very pleased. I'd also donated the black bass that Static had helped me to catch, and the fish is now happily swimming around one of the tanks in the Aquarium. I've been spending a lot of time with my friends; there wasn't really much else to do here. I have no idea how the residents here managed to not die of boredom, but apparently they switch towns fairly often.

Anyway, I've just gone rambling about things irrelevant to today, April Fool's Day. I headed downstairs, and reached for the door. I stopped suddenly; it was open slightly, just a crack that I normally wouldn't notice if I wasn't so paranoid about getting pranked. I smirked to myself, before kicking the door open with my foot, quickly stepping back. However, the smirk faltered as a bucket of sticky confetti SWUNG towards the door, completely covering me before I could move. "Crud." I muttered monotonously, spitting confetti from my mouth. High-pitched giggling reached my ears, and Rosie and Dora appeared in the doorway.

"Sorry, Louis, silly!" Rosie exclaimed, smiling widely, "So close to avoiding too! But you'll have to try harder to outsmart us! And... To fix your clothing, just back flip into something else and it's as good as new, silly!" She giggled again, "See you outside, Louis!" The cat and mouse ran away, laughing loudly. I sighed, heading to my wardrobe, finding the only other top I had, back flipping into it. My work clothes. I quickly back flipped back into the chequered shirt, and wiped the confetti off of my face. I swiftly walked out of the door, jumping over a trip wire that was connected to a bee's nest above my door. Wow, some of these animals really wanted to hurt me, it seemed. I turned in a complete circle, scanning the wood for a sign of danger, as if I was in the wilderness with some maniac holding a gun chasing me. It felt cool. I waited a few more seconds, before darting into the forest. I immediately heard footsteps following, and I glanced around, seeing a blurred figure chasing me. I returned my attention ahead, spotting another trip wire tied to two trees, and I jumped over it again, before dodging a net covered by leaves on the floor. Unfortunately for the animal that made the trap, the wind had blown a few leaves off, revealing some of the net. My pursuer was now directly behind me, and I frowned, spotting another tripwire ahead of me.

My frown changed to a smirk as I realised what the trap was, and ran straight through the tripwire. I threw myself to the ground and a large pie, yes, a pie, zoomed over my head. There was a splat from behind me, and a cry of shock as my pursuer fell backwards into a pile of leaves. Unfortunately for whomever it was, that pile of leaves was hiding another net, and soon, the pursuer was left hanging in a tree. I approached the net, watching as my pursuer wiped the pie from his face to reveal none other than Roald. "Well, well, well!" I exclaimed, grinning at the blue jock who was struggling to escape, "Pie in the face trap, nice one. But I'm afraid you missed, you failed at tricking me."

"Oh, really?" Roald asked with a smirk as I stepped back, and I froze as I felt my leg touch wire, "Watch where you're walking, b-b-buddy."

"Crud." I muttered for the second time that morning, and I soon felt myself flying upwards, surrounded by a net and hanging from a tree. Roald laughed, and whacked the tree he hung from, and fell from the net to the ground, free. He waved at me sarcastically, before he jogged off, avoiding all traps. I stared in shock, before saying, "...Man, these animals are good." I looked to the tree I was hanging from, and just like Roald did, I whacked it hard with the palm of my hand. I soon felt myself falling, and I landed with a thump on the ground, tangled up in the net. I struggled for a few seconds, before crawling out from underneath. Suddenly, someone stamped my head face first into the mud and ran over me. I looked back up, spitting out earth, seeing Cube jogging off ahead of me, only to trigger another pie-in-the-face trick, which zoomed over the penguin's head.

Unfortunately, at the time, I had just climbed to my feet. The pie hit me straight in the face, and I found myself falling backwards to the ground yet again, landing roughly on my back. "Sorry, d-d-dude!" I heard Cube call back to me, before he ran off laughing, leaving me on the floor, face covered with whatever gooey stuff was inside the pie. I scrambled back to my feet yet again, bits of pastry and filling flying off in all directions, before dashing forward after the penguin. I was going to get revenge, somehow, sometime. I was catching up on the penguin, leaping over all tripwires, and swerving around all piles of leaves. The town was like a death trap, and I wondered how on earth the animals managed to set all this up in just a night. But something told me I hadn't encountered the worst yet; there must be a big finale to all their pranks.

But one thing was for sure; they had definitely decided to pick on the newbie for April Fool's Day.

"Psst, over here!" I glanced around, seeing a red and white cat hiding in the trees. I sighed, before approaching Kabuki, even more wary of him than anyone else in town. Surely he, of all people, would have a prank to play on me? As I approached, he asked, "Want to team up, meooo-OH?" I frowned at the question, and tilted my head in suspicion. Kabuki rolled his eyes, and extended his paw, "Yes, I know, meooo-OH, you were expecting me to be first in the queue to prank the new guy. But we were all new guys once, meooo-OH. And I reckon it's about time the new guy outsmarted the old guys. How about it, meooo-OH?" I considered for a few moments, before taking the paw, the suspicion still in my eyes. Kabuki nodded slowly, before jogging off again, gesturing for me to follow.

We navigated swiftly through the woods, ascending into the upper half of town, before stopping behind a cluster of trees. Kabuki pointed forward, and we saw Purrl and Tank talking to each other, laughing loudly. Kabuki pulled his head back out of sight, and looked left at me, saying, "Alright, here's the plan... I reckon it's time to pull the prank of the day. Something that everyone in town will remember until April 1st next year, meooo-OH. Listen carefully..."


	21. April Fools Day Part 2

Wow, most amount of reviews I've ever had to reply to. xD

EssenceOfPhlegm - Thank you! I hope the prank doesn't disappoint, though... I skipped describing it, so just use your imagination for how it happened. xD And I like Purrl, but I felt the story needed a snobby 'villain' like character.

Yayfully Free - Thanks for the idea, but I'd already got it planned out. And that's a bit... mild compared to this prank. xD Thank you.

Ofweaponarydefences - Ahaha, thanks.

Awsomevanessasantoro - Betcha didn't think of this prank, either!

o-CrystalSakura-o - Ah, yes, I am aware of that, I'll get round to redoing those chapters eventually. Thank you.

define-originality - I'll have to check your story out. But I promise that my beginning was completely my mind, no copying. :) I have nothing against Nook, but it's a common joke with a couple of friends to 'torture' him in our stories. We'll see some Nook-bashing in this, I'm sure.

Unknown - Thanks.

April Fool's Day- Part 2

"I still say this day is a waste of time, krrzt." Static muttered as he and Wolfgang walked through town, slowly ascending the slope to the upper half of Honevray, "Playing pranks on people? This town is like a deathtrap, krrzt. Why did you drag me out here, Wolfgang, krrzt?" Wolfgang rolled his eyes, not bothering to answer, so Static continued, "Oh, never mind... Not as if there's anything better to do. But I swear, the other animals are planning something for us, and soon they'll be laughing at us, krrzt."

"For crying out loud, Static!"Wolfgang snapped, a hint of amusement in his eyes as he glared at the bewildered squirrel, "Stop being paranoid, snarrrl. As long as we use our eyes and ears, we're not going to run into any traps. Anyway, why should we let the darn peppies and lazies have all the fun? What happened to our promise all those years ago, snarrrl?" Static sighed, and mouthed along to Wolfgang as he continued, "Never, so long as we live, will we let anyone mess with us. Should they even try, we'll teach them a lesson. See? So it's time that _[i]we[/i] _played a prank of our own." A mischievous grin reaches Static's face, and the two high-fived, before moving around to plan. Before they both suddenly felt wire on their legs. "Darn it, snarrrl!"

But neither of them expected what happened next...

"Oh look, fresh targets, meooo-OH!" Kabuki commented quietly, gesturing towards Static and Wolfgang. He was stood at the top of the cliff, watching them as they approached. I was stood beside the cat, also watching, and Kabuki continued, "Oh, good, they've stopped to talk. Gives us chance to finalise the plan." I stared at him uncertainly, and he rolled his eyes, "Relax, Louis. It's fine, no-one's gonna get hurt. No more dangerous than pies which could drown you, yes it's possible, than bee's nests you could be allergic to or being whipped up by a net that could go as far as breaking your neck."Kabuki smiled at my horrified face, and his teeth glinted in the sun, "But what are the chances of that? Come on, let's set this up."

The cat quickly led me to a set of strange equipment, and began shoving things into my hands, quickly giving me instructions. I barely managed to take all this in, but it wasn't long before Kabuki and I were setting up a truely complicated trap that would indeed make the best April Fool's Day prank ever to be seen. But just who would fall for it? Eventually, we finished, and Wolfgang and Static were talking nearby, standing on the best viewpoint atop the cliff face, staring ahead. Completely oblivious to our plan, of course. "Give me a moment, meooo-OH!" Kabuki said, before slinking off into the trees, vanishing from my side. There was a few rustling noises, before he returned, trying to hide an evil grin. "There, done! Now, let us go to a... safe viewing point, meooo-OH!"

I nodded, and we quickly headed for the safe path through the trees, where we'd avoid all tripwires. However, Kabuki seemed to have forgotten, for the two of us had planned to head on the right of the single tree with apples in the area. However, Kabuki swiftly dodged to the left, where one of the trip wires was. "Kabuki, look out!" I shouted in warning, but the cat had already gone through the tripwire. He turned to face me as I continued forward, and the evil smirk appeared on his face again. My eyes widened in sudden realisation. The tripwire was very thin, too thin to even feel if we walked through it. There would be a five second warning, before-

Five seconds had passed.

There was a noise from behind me, and I turned expectantly around, already knowing that trying to dodge to the left would make things... worse. However, I smiled, for what I saw flying towards me was not what I Kabuki had expected, nor was it headed towards me. Six pies flew past my face, the small rush of wind ruffling a few strands of my hair. I heard a splat from behind me, followed by a muffled cry of shock. I turned on my heel, watching as Kabuki stumbled backwards, through one of the tripwires that triggered the trap he had intended to catch me in. I knew I couldn't trust him, and I'd known immediately that when he had vanished off for a few minutes, he had swapped tripwires around, but he hadn't known that the tripwire he put to catch me was actually one that set off my own trap.

I folded my arms, keeping still as Kabuki's own trap got underway. After several cries of pain and embarrassment, too fast for my imagination to even describe, Kabuki was left glued to the town hall clock, gagged and slowly rotating around with the minute hand. Residents slowly began to gather around the town hall plaza, whispering amongst themselves as they watched Kabuki struggle to escape. Pelly and Tortimer rushed out of the town hall, Pelly exclaiming, "Oh my gosh! Tortimer, sir, get a ladder! Quickly!"

Tortimer frowned as he tilted his head, watching the thrashing cat, "Why, that is the finest April Fools Prank I've ever seen! Finally, the town hall looks interesting! Who's genius idea was this plan?"

"Mine." I lied, smiling as I approached the town hall. Kabuki immediately tried to protest, but no words escaped his gagged mouth, and I added, "What's the matter, Kabuki? You can't win every prank."

"...Louis is the April Fools King, yip yip!" Bones chorused, raising my arm into the air before dancing around, "All hail King Louis, the best prankster, yip yip!"

I grinned smugly as I looked around at the cheering animals, the words 'April Fools King!' on all of their lips. Best. April. Fools. Day. Ever.

Meanwhile...

"Um..." Wolfgang muttered as they stared up at the cliff-face, "Help! Someone, help, snarrrl!"

"See, this is why we don't go out on April Fool's Day, krrzt." Static snapped at the wolf, before looking down at the ground.

Now, if one were to approach the cliff face and look down, they would find a very distressed wolf and squirrel dangling upside down, victim of yet another trap set up in Honevray...


	22. Friday Night

define-originality - Thank you. ^^

Ofweaponarydefences - Also thank you.

Friday Night

Zipper T. Bunny sucks. Big time. I mean... how does a bunny get sick? Why does the EASTER Bunny get sick on... Bunny Day. I don't have a clue what Bunny Day is, but it's apparently celebrated here instead of Easter. What do they do, celebrate bunnies? Would any bunny residents that live in town get lots of presents for simply having a fluffy bob-tail and flip-floppy ears? I don't know why they can't just call it Easter, but I guess these animals don't have religion, and so simply focus on chocolate eggs... Which I'm not complaining about... However, for some reason, without Zipper T. Bunny, Easter eggs don't even appear. According to Nook, this mysterious rabbit is the mastermind behind a huge egg-making company, and so when the rabbit is sick, eggs don't get made. This Bunny dude isn't all sunshine and flowers, it seems... Maybe I'll meet him next year, unless he has rabbit flu or whatever new disease pops up.

Anyway, so... Bunny Day didn't happen. Nothing interesting did happen. I enjoyed a week of fame for pulling the top prank on April Fool's Day, Kabuki gives me glares whenever he sees me, while everyone else clapped when I walked by. But now the event's just old news and I'm back to plain, simple me. But little did I know that today, the 1st May, a very unexpected event would happen. Well... Two. One is good, like, really epically absolutely brilliant good. The other... The other is bad. But going chronologically, the good news happened first. And boy was I shocked at what today brought, but I am really happy about it, as are the other residents.

Anyway, I won't hold you on your toes- or paws, or whatever type of feet you may have. I don't know what kinda psycho reads my thoughts, but if you're a human, cat, mouse, elephant, moose, whatever else... I'm getting off the point. Let's start first by describing last night. As I was told shortly after I arrived, every Friday is the official gathering of town members at Brewster's. And so I found myself wandering down from my house to the museum, in the early evening, when the sun was just beginning to vanish behind the cliffs that surrounded Honevray. I'd been to a few of these events, but I'd mainly just stuck in the corner and avoided making myself known. I intended to do the same tonight, as I slipped through the door of the crowded cafe, quickly leaning against the wall and looking around.

Goldie quickly approached me, "Louis, woof!"

I smiled at the Labrador, who was wearing her usual red check shirt, and replied, "Hey Goldie, I don't usually see you down here on a Friday night." That was true, but the animals I did see here EVERY week were, Rosie and Nibbles. The two peppy animals loved parties, and they just went insane every time. Animals like Roald, Tank, Static, Cube, Bones, Mitzi and Dora showed up most weeks too, but there had been a few evenings where they didn't. I'd never seen Kabuki or Wolfgang down here though. I think Kabuki wanted to stay low for a while, to avoid the humiliation after my prank on April Fool's Day. Wolfgang was just the quietest animal in town, but he was still a friend of mine. Speaking of which, he and Static got stuck on April Fool's Day. Roald and Tank happened to find them at around midnight, asleep and upside down hanging from a cliff.

Anyway...

"I know!" Goldie grinned, "But I felt like a change of scenery. It does get lonely, woof, being alone wandering the town while most others are here. Rosie is always here, and Dora rarely misses it..." Rosie, Dora and Goldie were three best friends, I'd quickly worked out. I may as well also explain the 'groups' in Honevray. Myself? Though I'm good friends with everyone but Kabuki and Purrl, I tend to hang around with Bob most of the time. Bob isn't too... popular with the majority of Honevray residents. No-one dislikes him as such, but he just doesn't seem to fit in, it's why we became best friends so quick, as I was in the same boat. Rosie, Goldie and Dora, as I already mentioned. Wolfgang and Static are rarely seen without each other, they are true best friends, it's quite remarkable. Of course, Static is usually down in the cafe on Friday nights without Wolfgang, but aside that. Roald and Tank... Can't say I'm particularly fond of the two, but they're almost as unattachable as Static and Wolfgang. They train together, talk about sports all the time, just two chavs really.

Nibbles... It took me a while to work this one out, actually, but Nibbles is best friends with Mitzi. I was quite surprised, they're two very different animals, and I rarely see them together. But they go down to the restaurant every Wednesday night and have dinner together. Cube and Bones, unsurprising. Their favourite activities are eating contests, fishing contests, bug contests, anything that involves competing against each other. Those two are quite detached from the rest of town, and they're rather... odd. I've seen them running around town, pretending their pirates, or zombies, or whatever else. Purrl... She hardly ever leaves her house, except for some Friday nights, where she spends most of the time asking for compliments on her outfit. The rest of the animals have gotten used to it, but I just can't get to like her, she's way too vain and snobbish. Portia, I feel sorry for, she's the most detached resident in Honevray, and definitely the most mysterious. She never seems happy, and spends most of her time in the museum, or collecting fossils for it. I've spoken to her a few times, and I can tell how determined she is to complete the collection for her parents, it's rather touching. Kabuki... Well, he doesn't care for friends. He's solitary, sticks to himself, and the majority of the times he interacts with the rest of us, is to just be mean.

But overall, we're all fairly close. And I ramble too much.

"Yeah, you should come here more often." I nodded slightly, before looking around to see who else was here. I raised my eyebrows. Wolfgang and Kabuki were both here, for the first time since I've been in Honevray, and right after I thought about them never being there. Kabuki was slouched against the far wall, looking everywhere but at me. Wolfgang was sat at the counter with Static, both murmuring to each other as they sipped their coffee. Rosie and Dora were chatting loudly on the platform, by the piano, which Portia was playing. I forgot to mention that Portia was an excellent pianist, and the usual cafe music that played was always stopped when Portia turned up, and she provided the music for the parties. Nibbles was at one of the tables with Mitzi, both also talking. So... The guest list for this evening. Me, Goldie, Wolfgang, Static, Kabuki, Rosie, Dora, Portia, Nibbles and Mitzi.

"I probably will, woof." Goldie responded, and I returned my attention to the Labrador, who then said, "Quite surprised to see Kabuki here though... He took a real hit after your prank, was too scared to leave the house! He deserves it though, after the incident with the bee nest and what he did to you, woof!" I frowned, having forgot about the bee incident, and Kabuki insisting it wasn't him. I'd actually believed him then, but after April Fool's Day, it was obvious it was him. Goldie finally continued to say, "Anyway! Welcome to the party, woof!" She gave me a quick hug, which I returned, before she skipped over to Rosie and Dora. As soon as she'd gone, Kabuki stepped towards me, and I sighed, turning to face the cat as he stopped a couple of feet from me.

"Louis, meooo-OH!" The red-striped cat greeted, nodding to me curtly.

"Kabuki." I replied in a cold tone, nodding back, no smile on my face as I watched the cat. I considered making a snide comment about April Fool's Day, but decided to remain civil unless Kabuki said something first.

"Congratulations on defeating me, meooo-OH!" Kabuki finally said, and I raised my eyebrows in surprise, "I was the reigning April Fools King, and wanted to get the title again. It is common for the newbie to be the direction of all pranks, meooo-OH! No hard feelings, I hope."

I was unsure of how to respond to this... It was, after all, no more evil than trying to catch me in a net, hit me with a bee hive or throwing a pie at my face. Sure, the prank was a little more... extreme, but was Kabuki really just trying to keep his title, and follow tradition? I'd never been fond of the cat, but was he really innocent? Had he learnt his lesson? I decided the best action to take would be to just act civil, after all, I wasn't going to let him trick me again. "Sure, no hard feelings."

Kabuki nodded, smiling, teeth glinting, "Very good, meooo-OH! You outplayed me, and you deserve the title. Just too bad that the newbie was a human, and not an animal. We're all familiar with the holiday, meooo-OH! While you're not." He outstretched his paw to shake my hand, and I took it, before Kabuki stepped back, "Glad that's sorted out, newbie. See you around." He then stepped past me and up the steps, out of the cafe. I watched him leave, sighing slightly, before noticing that Portia's music had stopped, and the dalmation was admiring a painting on the wall.

I stepped towards her, and without looking to face me, she said softly, "See this painting, ruffian?" I glanced up at it, seeing a painting of two dalmations, one male, one a female. They were standing in front of a cliff, where a dinosaur head was perched on the ground, the two dogs holding shovels. "This was painted by my father, ruffian, to portray the moment of my parents' first discovery of the fossils beneath Honevray." I stood beside her, examining the two older Dalmations, and then the sadness on my friend's face, as she continued to say, "This is the last memory of them that I have, ruffian. When they... left me, they left me this. I had never seen it before, my father had finished it just the night before. This was to remind me of the wonders that are fossils, what they mean, what they resemble, what they used to be, ruffian. Instead of lingering on how much I missed my mother and father, I focussed instead of fulfilling their last wish. To discover the true secrets of Honevray's earth."

I listened sadly to this, troubled at how hard it must be for my friend... To never be able to see her parents again, for them to leave unexpectedly, and to be left with an almost impossible challenge. It was how I felt. Torn away from my parents, given the challenge of fitting into a very foreign place. Portia and I were alike. I said in just as soft a tone as Portia, "I'm... sorry."

"For what?" Portia questioned, gazing up at me, dark eyes searching my expression, "You are sorry that my parents left me, or sorry that you do not know how to help? Or perhaps, a bit of both, ruffian?"

I shrugged uncertainly, "Yes, both... I don't know what to say, it must have been hard of you to just wake up and find your parents gone. To wonder what they're doing now, to be left with such a big challenge."

"Challenge, ruffian?" Portia smiled slightly, "I like challenges. I enjoy this challenge. I love discovering secrets of Honevray, and until I find all of them, I will stay in Honevray, ruffian."

I frowned, "And what about after?"

"I will not stay here forever, Louis." Portia responded, sighing, "None of us will. The world of animals like us is small. And with humans beginning to appear in our lives, we must all shift around, find another town. We are in danger, ruffian. For the more humans find out we exist, the sooner the whole world finds out. The sooner we are destroyed. You must understand that you and Josh are not the only humans in this world, ruffian. You will meet more humans soon, and as soon as other humans start to arrive here, the sooner one of us moves out. Maybe I will be the first to leave... This is why I must find the fossils quickly, and I need your help, ruffian."

I tried to take all this in, but it just confused me... So I said numbly, "O-Of course... Of course I will..."

"That's all I ask." Portia replied gratefully, before warning me, "Cherish your friendships here while you can, for none of us are friends for life."

I sighed, lowering my head as Portia walked past me, trying to empty my mind of these depressing thoughts. This was certainly a different Friday night.

Well, definitely a twist of happy to not after the last chapters. Hope that doesn't put anyone off.


	23. The New Arrival

o-CrystalSakura-o - Thanks for that review! =) I think I replied to your comment, but I'll explain it here anyway. The 'brilliant' thing happens this chapter, which basically continues straight from the opening of the previous chapter.

The New Arrival

So anyway, after the rather interesting Friday night, I headed back to my house and fell straight asleep. When I awoke, there was a constant flash coming from my pocket. I frowned, reaching into it and pulling up my map. I unfolded it, seeing a house flickering on and off. It was one of the houses that I had the option of buying, except it was now pink! It means a new resident, a female, had moved in. I quickly looked to the key on the right, and my eyes widened in shock. The key was separated into two categories. Humans and Animals. Josh and Louis had always been the names present at the top, but... There was a new name there, now... Jenny. There was a new human! A smile came to my face, and I shoved the map back into my pocket, backflipped into my favourite top and dashed down the steps.

Josh was waiting on the doorstep as I opened the door, "Ah, Louis. I assume, from your hurry, that you are aware of a new resident in town?"

I smiled at him happily, nodding, "Yes! Jenny... Did Rover and Kapp'n find a new human who could see the bus?"

Josh shook his head and I frowned as he explained, "No, no. New humans seeing the bus is a rare circumstance. This girl, Jenny, is my best friend, like a sister to me. I know that's probably a disappointment for you, as you would have wanted someone in your shoes and new to the world. But still, she's a nice girl, and I think you two would be good friends. Do you want to come with me to greet her?" My heart sank slightly, but the smile didn't leave my face. I didn't care if she was new to the world or not, there was another human! Someone else that linked me back to my old life, someone not covered in fur and talking with a weird catchphrase. Someone like me! I nodded quickly, and Josh laughed slightly, "Very well, then. Let's go. She has the house on the ledge at B3."

Josh led me upwards through the town, and I followed with anticipation, ignoring any animals that we walked past. We ascended the ledge, and I saw the yellow-roofed house, except unlike before, the light was on. Josh approached the door, and knocked. The seconds ticked past like hours as we waited, and I wished the girl would hurry up and open the door. But eventually, footsteps were heard, and the door opened. A short girl was stood on the doorway, with light brown hair that gently touched her shoulders, curling slightly at the tips. Her eyes were friendly and brown, and her white teeth showed as she smiled at Josh. "Josh!" Jenny exclaimed happily as she pulled the older boy into a tight hug, "I missed you so much!" I shifted awkwardly, watching the reunion.

As the two pulled away from each other, Josh replied, sounding happier than I had ever heard him, "I missed you too, Jenny. It was about time you decided to follow me." Jenny rolled her eyes, before moving them to gaze at me, giving me a slight smile. Josh glanced over his shoulder, remembering I was there.

"Oh, yes," He quickly said, stepping back and allowing Jenny to approach me, "This is Louis. Kapp'n and Rover picked him up. He moved into town a couple of months ago."

Jenny frowned at what he had said, "...They found another one?" Josh nodded, and the two exchanged knowing glances, before Jenny returned her attention to me, pulling me into a hug, "Hey Louis! Nice to meet you, I wasn't expecting any other humans to be here. I'm Jenny, as you probably know, and I'm sure we'll be great friends."

"N-Nice to meet you too." I stuttered as she pulled away, scratching my head awkwardly. And the silence that followed shared that mood. I eventually broke the silence, saying, "Well, erm, I should probably leave you two to catch up..."

"No, no!" Jenny exclaimed, tugging me inside her house, before stopping, glancing at the tiny room, "...Oh. Yes. Josh gave me a rubbish house. Never mind! Come with us to the restaurant, and we'll get some lunch."

"Are you sure...?" I asked shyly, not wanting to interrupt the two friends' reunion.

"Of course," Josh answered, also smiling at me, before saying, "I want to tell you something, Louis, anyway." I nodded, wondering what this could be, before following the two friends back to the bottom of the town. I felt a bit out of place, still, as the two chatted ahead of me. I realised that I had been hoping for someone new like myself, maybe a true best friend. But it was better than nothing, at any rate. The three of us eventually arrived at the pier, entering the warm restaurant.

Soap immediately skidded over on a bar of soap. I frowned as I glanced at her feet, and it seemed that the ostrich had made her namesake a method of quick transport. She eyed the three of us, before saying, "Welcome to the Pierview Diner. Take a seat." Without awaiting a response, she zoomed back into the kitchen.

"Wow, friendly staff you guys have here." Jenny arched an eyebrow, before grabbing Josh's arm and leading the two boys over to a table by the window, overlooking the sea. "I'm the new guest, so I get to choose the seat. Honevray definitely has a better view than my last town." Josh laughed slightly as he sat down beside her, leaving me to sit opposite, again rather detached from the two. Jenny quickly grabbed a menu, "Heck, even the food looks nicer. Nice food, nice view. I love this town already. However, I wouldn't mind a bigger house. Or don't I get special treatment, anymore?"

Josh laughed, "Hey, I've got to make a living here too. I need the money."

"Need the money?!" Jenny exclaimed in disbelief, whacking her friend on the arm with the menu, "You have a mansion! Why don't you sell the... fiftieth spare bedroom in your house and use the money to help me out!" Josh flinched, pushing the menu back from his arm, trying to stop himself laughing. I watched the two silently, rather amazed at the bond the two shared. They were like brother and sister.

"Hey, you're not the only one that needs a bigger house." Josh fake-glared at her, before gesturing to me, "Louis has lived in the same size house for a few months now, and you don't see him complaining! Anyway, Louis, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm not sure if you've kept track of how many bells you've been paying back, but you've paid enough to complete your mortgage. That means that I can arrange for your house to be expanded. It's up to you, the price is higher this time. A... lot higher. It's 120,000 bells. The ground floor will become one-and-a-half its current size. Meaning half your current size will be added to it." I smiled to myself at the news, pleased that I managed to pay it all back, but the new price seemed... very big.

"Thanks, Josh." I replied gratefully, before nodding, "And yes please, I'd like for my house to be expanded."

Josh nodded officially, "Very well. You can sleep in one of my spare bedrooms tonight, and your new expansion will be ready tomorrow morning."

"Aw, congrats Louis!" Jenny smiled widely, eyes sparkling, "I know how difficult it is to start making money, but it gets a lot easier the longer you live here. And anyway, Josh! You forgot I have bells from my old town! You can go straight to giving me a second floor." She drew out a large bag of bells, placing it in front of Josh. Josh's eyes widened, and he quickly began to count the money as Jenny ordered their lunch from Soap, who swiftly skidded back to the kitchen with their order. She then watched Josh, rather smugly. The pride of my achievement faded as I saw Josh nod, meaning that the girl who had moved in just a couple of hours ago, was already making herself a better life here than me. I couldn't help but feel jealous, but I forced myself not to show it.

"Wow." Josh finally said, placing the bells in his pocket, "Erm, well... Your expansion will be ready in the morning also... I guess you can stay over at mine tonight as well."

"Aw, thanks!" Jenny pulled Josh into another hug, before smiling at both of us, "It will be a fun night, then! The three of us having a sleep-over, haven't had one of those for a loooong time. Except this will be in a huge mansion!" I smiled back weakly, though Jenny didn't notice the lack of enthusiasm. I remained silent for the rest of lunchtime, eating the pizza I had requested in silence, listening as the two friends caught up. But yet again, I was left out.


	24. An Interesting Book

PB Headless - Thanks for the review. I think I replied to your review... Not sure. But due to where this fanfic is primarily based, I can't use any romance in it. However, I do intend to give this version a few bonus features, so yes, there will be romance.

Harvest-Mooniac - Thanks, and it's Louis, not Louise. :P A correction there, is that the start focusses around fitting in. This is sort of like an AC soap opera, as explained later in this chapter. I'd love to see an AC anime, maybe I should send this to someone to get it made. xD Thank you. And ahahaha, you'll have to wait and find out for romance.

Ofweapoanrydefences - Thank you! Here is a Jenny-filled chapter, I hope you still like her after this.

afanofyours - Wooo, I have a fan. I apologise for the delay with this chapter, but I'll get quite a few more chapters done this week (I hope) as I have it off. And my summer holidays are in less than a month, so I have ten weeks to write, write, write.

An Interesting Book

I gazed around the large mansion, recognising the familiar home from the last time I was here. Josh switched the light on, revealing the staircase leading up and downstairs, and the multiple doors that led to different rooms. Jenny entered from behind me, walking past, gazing around, "Well, someone lives in luxury." She turned to face us, smiling, "There's only one thing to do in a house as huge as this!" I stared at her with slight uncertainty, and Josh walked back towards us after finishing turning the lights on.

"And what would that be?" Josh asked, the same curiosity in his voice that ran through my mind.

"Hide and seek!" Jenny exclaimed, clapping her hands at the thought. Josh raised his eyebrows, while I shifted slightly. I'd never been good at hide and seek, for two reasons. Whenever I had to hide, everyone else just stole all the spots before I got there. And when I had to seek, everyone just took advantage of my unpopularity and ran off to find somewhere else before I could find them. Obviously, I hadn't had very good experiences with the game in the past. Jenny seemed to notice, "Aww, what's wrong, Louis? Don't you want to play?" I sighed, considering the question, before nodding silently. Jenny smiled again, "Yay! Josh, you're playing too. And why don't we get a few villagers in here too?" My heart sank. The more people that played, the less chance I had of ever finding a hiding spot in time.

Josh sighed, "Whatever. I guess I'm in, then. Villagers? Sure. Everyone here loves hide and seek, you'll be invited to play sooner or later. Both of you." He quickly headed out the front door to collect some animals to join them, leaving me alone with Jenny. Jenny smiled at me, before heading through one of the doors. I followed uncertainly, entering a very posh and large living room, seeing Jenny sitting down on a sofa, quickly making herself comfortable. I uncertainly followed and sat in an armchair, a small distance away from the girl.

"I don't bite, you know." Jenny commented, noticing the distance between us, "Aren't we friends?" I sighed slightly, before nodding, moving to sit beside her on the sofa. She smiled at me again, before asking, "So... Tell me about yourself."

I shrugged slightly, before asking simply, "What do you want to know?"

"About your life before moving here." The girl replied, examining me closely, "Friends, family, just about you."

I sighed, before saying, "There's not much to say."

"But there's obviously something."

"Not really." I looked away from her, glancing up at a picture hanging from the wall, a painted version of Josh's mansion. On the mantelpiece above the fireplace were also several photos. Josh and Static, Josh and Rosie and a few animals I didn't recognise. I got to my feet, approaching the one on the end. It was a younger version of Josh, probably nine or ten years old, his left arm around a younger version of Jenny, who would have been eight or nine. They were standing in front of the town hall. Josh was around sixteen now... He'd been in Honevray for six years? And Jenny was here then too? Why did Josh move out of his home at such a young age?

"I remember that so clearly." Jenny suddenly said from beside me, causing me to jump slightly. The smile had faded slightly from my new friend's face, "You're probably surprised we were so young when we arrived here..."

"I don't understand why." I replied quietly, glancing at her, searching for an answer, "Josh must be at the most ten years old... Did he run away?"

Jenny shook her head, turning away from me, "No... No he didn't. It's complicated, and... something I don't want to get into right now. He tells everyone that he chose to move away, but... not really. He didn't really have a choice." She shook her head more fiercely, "N-No, let's not discuss it..." I watched her with confusion as she returned to the sofa, sitting back down, before she was smiling again, "Nice conversation change there. I believe I asked you to tell me about yourself." I sighed, sitting back down next to her.

"Well..." I began, not sure where to even start, "My family's normal, parents are both together, both are nice and treat me fine. I have an older brother, he's hardly home, and a little sister, who's just annoying. My school life was normal, just the usual bullying that people like me always face. Went to visit my grandparents in a town a few hours away from home, caught the wrong bus, ended up here."

"There has to be more to your life than that."

I shook my head, "No... No. There's not. My life's boring."

"What about your friends?"

I sighed again, shoulders falling, "I had a few."

"You need to come out of that shell of yours." Jenny shook her head, looking away.

"My... shell?" I repeated with confusion.

"Yes." Jenny replied, "Get out of that shell and open up to people, like you opened up to Josh. Didn't that make things better? It made you adjust to your life here."

"There's seriously nothing to open up about."

"I'm good at reading people, Louis." Jenny cut me off, staring at me seriously, "And every book has a plot. I don't believe that yours is as simple as you say. And trust me, before I leave Honevray, I'll have reached the end of your book."

"You won't enjoy it, nothing will happen." I responded irritably, getting back to my feet, "Bottom of the book charts, worst seller ever, lack of character development – Whatever. There's nothing about my life to read into. Not everyone faces tragedy, hurt, action or whatever in their life."

"You're facing a plot twist now, aren't you?" Jenny questioned, and I narrowed my eyes, "I'd love to read a book about a character arriving in a whole different world, struggling to fit in. It's something that every child faces at some point in their life, not being able to fit in somewhere. I'd love to read about this character overcoming the struggle, with the help of his friends, and feeling at home. And every character has some kind of back story. Something that makes readers care about them, want to know them."

I spun around to face her, "And you'll have to close the book before that happens!" I frowned at my choice of words, running my hand through my hair, "I didn't even mean to say tha-"

"Of course you didn't." Jenny smiled fakely, before improving it to real, "But I may have just found my most interesting book ever."

I stared at her with genuine confusion, "...Don't you understand? There's nothing interesting about me. Your history with Josh is far more interesting, and I don't even know it. I'd rather read that than back over my life."

"Everyone would prefer to know someone else's life than relive their own." Jenny said, "And if yours is so perfect as you say, then you wouldn't be here."

"W-Why not?" I questioned suspiciously.

"See..." Jenny sighed, standing up to join me as she began to explain, "If Honevray, or any town in this world, was a book... The author loves to add good characters. Characters with an interesting back story, an interesting personality, someone who would make a big impact on the storyline. Josh and I have played our main parts in the story, we're just here to keep links from the past. New characters are added fairly often, and everyone has their part to play. It's like a soap opera. Every character has some dark secret, some major storyline. All the animals that live here, they come from some unknown town, give their part to the story, cause a few arguments, affect a few characters, or just have some really exciting impact. Then, when their part in the story is gone, they move away. That's how this world has to work. Any human that can see the bus, has a major part to play in the story. And your part in the story has just begun, you're a main character."

I considered all of her explanation uncertainly, and before I could reply, the front door opened and several voices could be heard.

Jenny smiled at me yet again, "Time for hide and seek, it seems."


	25. So Confusing

Harvest-Mooniac - Thanks for the review. I read the first chapter of your fan fic. I like it. :) I hope you update it soon.

So Confusing

The next morning, I gazed at my expanded house with a rather unimpressed expression. Sure, it was bigger, but still wasn't somewhere I wanted to spend my free time. Josh seemed to sense how I felt, and laughed, "I know it's not exactly luxurious just yet, but keep at it, and it will get bigger." I nodded slightly, before following Josh inside. My TV had been pushed back to the wall with the expansion, my red sofa still sat in front. My green table was in the centre of the room, my tape deck on the left against the wall. Looked almost the same, just a bit bigger. I could now walk around it without feeling cramped, so it was better.

"Thanks, Josh." I said, and the boy smiled at me, "Though dare I ask how much this expansion costs?"

"You can ask if you wish," Josh replied, before laughing slightly, "But I have to tell you anyway. 120,000 Bells." My eyes widened in shock at how huge that price seemed compared to my first. Josh patted my shoulder, saying, "Trust me, it gets easier the longer you keep going. When you have a stable bank balance, and with interest coming in each month, it won't be too long before I can expand this again. Now that you have tools, you can catch bugs, fish, find fossils. And as you begin completing the collections at the museum, you can sell the repeats for quite a lot of money."

I sighed, nodding, "Thanks again. And thank you for letting me stay at your place last night, it was fun. Even if I did hopelessly fail at hide and seek." I grimaced, thinking back to how I spent almost an hour finding all the animals. Jenny was hardest to find, and most of the animals had already gone home when I found her, reading a book, hidden behind a bookshelf in Josh's library. It was still fun though... I guess.

"No worries, no worries." Josh grinned, before shrugging, "Hey, I'm not the best either. You found me fairly quickly. But... what do you think of Jenny?" I sighed again at the question, unsure of how to answer. She was... strange. She seemed so friendly on the outside, but when she was talking to me alone last night, it was a different side of her. Her and Josh seemed to have a complex history, but what was it? I finally forced a smile and thought of an answer.

"I like her." Was my simple response, "She's nice, and I think she'll be a good friend of mine."

Josh stared at me curiously, almost as if he didn't believe that was all there was to my opinion, before nodding, "That's good."

An awkward silence fell, which I quickly broke with a rushed question of, "How long is she staying here for?"

Josh shrugged, "I'm not sure. I think it's fairly permanent, though."

"How did she get here? Did she see the bus too? Cause... I thought that we couldn't leave this town."

Josh's mouth thinned at the question, and he said quietly, "That... is too much to go into right now. Our world is... very complex. No-one could fully explain it to you in a way that would make sense. I don't really understand it fully myself. I'm sorry, Louis, but you don't need to know. Just know that you can't leave this town, not yet, maybe not ever." I opened my mouth to reply, but Josh continued, "I hope you enjoy your new expansion. Remember it's 120,000. As always, make payments at the town hall, and I suggest putting it all into your bank account while you save the money." I nodded, not bothering to try and ask my question again. "I'll see you later, Louis. Feel free to come and see me if you need any help, or Jenny." He nodded to me, before leaving my house.

"Why must this town be so confusing?" I asked, my voice echoing around the lonely room.

"""""""""""

Josh opened the door to the real estate building, walking in briskly, the door slamming shut behind him. The bell above the door rang from the door's movement, but the head of the real estate ignored it as he retreated behind his desk. He walked into the office hurriedly, door swinging back behind him, pulling open the chest of drawers hastily, rummaging through the files inside. He murmured to himself, voice and expression desperate as he continued looking, before kicking the drawer back in, creating a loud bang. He sighed loudly, stepping backwards and running his hand through his hair.

"Are you alright?" A voice suddenly asked, and he turned to face the door, seeing Jenny walking towards him. The girl looked worried, and Josh laughed rather bitterly, turning away, "What's wrong, Josh?"

Josh paced towards the window, wiping away the cobwebs with a wave of his hand, sending a black house spider scuttling across the floor, only to be squashed beneath Josh's foot. Jenny joined him, placing a cautious hand on his shoulder. Josh sighed, "Sorry Jenny. This is just getting difficult to deal with." Jenny said nothing, but put both her arms around him, hugging her best friend tightly. Josh glanced down at her head, before turning and hugging her back. The two broke apart, and Josh approached the cabinet again, "This shouldn't be happening. He shouldn't be here." Still, Jenny said nothing, but she knew exactly what Josh meant, as Josh could tell when he turned to make eye contact with her. "I... I don't know what is going to happen to the animal world, this shouldn't have happened. Even the animals are beginning to sense it."

Jenny opened her mouth to reply...

DING!

The two glanced towards the closed door of the office, frowning. That was the bell on the desk calling for attention. Josh stepped back from Jenny, before reaching out for the handle. He held it for a few seconds, before turning it and pulling the door opened. Both he and Jenny froze as they stepped out of the office, looking at the human behind the desk. It wasn't Louis.

"Hello!" The black-haired girl exclaimed from behind the desk, smiling, "I would like to buy a house, please?"

Jenny's mouth opened in shock, and Josh stared at the girl, skin turning even paler than usual as he considered the request.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Wooo, a real development on the next plot of the story here! I love adding mystery to my stories. Though the... bad thing is, I'm not quite sure EXACTLY where this plot is going. But the next chapter introduces a new main character to the cast.

Thank you to everyone who has this added to their alert and favourites. But a bigger thank you to my reviewers, I really love seeing a new review, no matter what it says. This has been the most successful fan fic I've ever written, and the one that's had the most attention. Thanks so much, and I hope you keep reading!


	26. Super Cool Adventure

Harvest-Mooniac - Thanks, and no problem, I'm still reading.

Ofweaponarydefences - Thanks, glad you like Jenny. And haha, feel free to write as much in your review as you want. I really like reviews that say more than 'excellent update!' and actually give their opinions on the story and characters. So feel free!

amyismynamey - LOUIS! LOUIIIIS! Not Louise! xD Thanks for the review.

Super Cool Adventure

Josh opened his mouth to reply, but shortly closed it once more, absolutely stunned. The girl's smile faltered, and it changed to a frown, "This is the real estate, right? Or am I in the wrong place?"

The boy managed to utter a weak response, "Y-Yes... Just hang on a second... I'm sorry." He quickly retreated into his office again, Jenny following and closing the door behind her. He turned to face her frantically, asking in a desperate hiss, "What is she doing here?"

"I don't know!" Jenny exclaimed in response, "Look, just calm down and give her a house. We can think about it later, maybe she just came from another animal town."

"I was just flipping talking about... then she... just what the heck?" Josh rubbed his temples, a migraine slowly appearing, "But you're right. We just need to deal with this." Jenny placed a comforting hand on his shoulder again, before he opened the door to the room and walked back inside. The girl was looking around the place curiously, before smiling when she noticed they were back. "Sorry about that, I was just... um, working out the... cost... Er... Have you looked at the houses?" He quickly drew out a book which recorded all the residents of town, payments and so on. He flipped to a new page, while Jenny studied the girl cautiously from behind him.

"Yep!" The girl exclaimed, before something clicked, "Oh! I haven't introduced myself, I'm sorry! My name's Laura, though I don't really see the point of introductions." She extended her hand, and Josh took it.

"You... don't see the point?" Jenny questioned as Josh scribbled the name into the book, not seeming to notice the odd thing that the girl called Laura just said.

"I've never had a dream that's so real before." Laura continued, and Josh paused from his writing, looking up with a frown, "Oh, don't give me that look. Forget it, why did I bother saying it? I'll just enjoy it while I can. Now anyway, can I have the house above the cliff please? The one with the red roof. Sure, it's small, but who cares?" Josh started to reply to what she said first, when Jenny coughed. He looked back at her, before deciding against it and continuing to write in the book. Laura continued, "And hey, you still need to give me your names."

"O-Oh, sorry." Josh murmured, glancing back at her, "I'm Josh... Owner of the estate office, it will be me that you pay your mortgage to... And this is my best friend, Jenny, who moved in yesterday..." He turned from her, drawing a box from the shelf. "U-Uh... Inside is the key to your house. When you carry this key, you have the ability to drop furniture in your house and move things. Otherwise, it will be like other homes you visit, where you can only use the items, not take or pick up. Look after the key, or anyone can enter and steal all your items. Not that we have anyone in town capable of that, but you can never be too sure." He passed the box over to her, and she opened it, staring inside curiously. Josh finally said, "As for cost, uh... 19,800 Bells... You can pay it back in your own time at the town hall... And I recommend opening a bank account so it's-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Laura cut him off, before rolling her eyes, "You're wasting my time, I'm going to go and have fun."

"Er..." Jenny narrowed her eyes, stepping forward, "This is important-"

"Shut up." Laura smiled, before darting out of the office, leaving Josh and Jenny to stare after her in confusion.

"What the heck was that about?" Josh questioned, disbelief clear on his face.

""""""""""""""""""

"Heeeey, Louis, yip yip!" I stared at the dog bouncing around outside my door as I opened it. Bones was holding a net and was swinging it around madly, looking very excited, "Let's go on a quest to find bugs, yip yip!"

"Quest... to find... b-bugs?" I repeated with a stutter, already looking disgusted at the very thought.

Bones rolled his eyes, before nodding enthusiastically, "Yes, yes, yip yip! It will be soooo cool! Bones and Louis, the ultimate bug-catching duo, remembered in Honevray's history for being the best bug-catchers in the woooorld!" His eyes shone with the excitement of that idea, while my own eyes showed the complete opposite. Bones noticed this, and his shoulders drooped, "Aw come on, Louis! We've never really talked, yip yip, and now's our chance to be best friends!"

"B-But, does it have to be bugs?" I asked, sounding rather scared, "I... I hate bugs!"

"Are you serious?" Bones exclaimed incredulously, "Bugs are awesome, yip yip! They're like aliens, with multiple arms and legs and freaky eyes! And they bite! How cool is that? With those totally awesome pinsirs, yip yip, and antennae! Hey, do you think they're actually from outer space? That would be soooo cool, and we'd be so famous if we discovered out, yip yip! Like... Super awesome scientists! It'll be a super cool adventure!" I stared at the dog uncertainly, before he continued, "Ooooorrrr, if you don't like that idea... Let's go exploring!"

"Where is there to explore?" I asked seriously, folding my arms as I leant against my doorframe, "We're in an isolated town surrounded by cliffs, an ocean and a sealed gate."

"Ooooh, but that's what they want you to think, yip yip!" Bones responded, the excitement returning to his voice.

"That's what... who wants me to think?"

"Nevermiiiiind," Bones sighed over-dramatically, "But come on, there's more to this town than meets the eye! Buuuuut, we'll get a bit wet. You can swim, right, yip yip?"

"No, not really-"

"Ha, ha, only kidding!" Bones exclaimed, before smirking, "But I know just the guy that can help, yip yip! I'll make a phone call, heh, heh..."

"Bones, what are you doing?"

"Just contacting someone who can lend us a boat, yip yip!" He dialled a number into a mobile phone, and waited, and soon I heard a very familiar pirate-like voice sound from the other end... Oh no, not HIM!


	27. Havoc and Exploration

amyismynamey - Haha, thanks. And yeah, Louis is pretty awesome. :P

Harvest-Mooniac - Hmm, didn't actually think of the island. :P They're going somewhere a bit different.

ofweaponarydefences - Hey, don't worry, she isn't that much of a *beep*, she just wants to have fun in her awesome dream. As you can see from this chapter. And hope this update was worth the wait.

o-CrystalSakura-o - Nah, there's news of all three in this chapter. Not really anything amazing though. Haha, I really ought to be more original with my characters. xD Thanks

Havoc and Exploration

"Darn it, where did she go?" Josh exclaimed as he glanced around the town from the top of the cliff. He was breathing rather heavily from sprinting, and Jenny soon caught up to him, "If... If she thinks she's in a dream, god knows what she'll do. She might try... jumping off a building. Or she may even go and hurt someone simply for the fun of it." He glanced to Jenny, who sighed deeply.

"Let's just go look in some of the buildi-"

"AAAAAARGH!"

She was cut off by a loud scream coming from the museum. Josh and Jenny exchanged worried glances, before dashing down the ramp to the second level of town and towards the white building. They entered, eyes widening to see the floor covered in bugs. Blathers was running around, trying to kick them back into the exhibit, "A-Ahhhh! G-G-Get them off me, hoo! J-Josh, help!" Before the boy could respond, the familiar black-haired girl skipped out of the bug exhibit, a giant butterfly perched on her shoulder, which she was examining curiously.

"How did I guess?" Josh sighed, before saying to Jenny and stepping carefully towards Laura, avoiding all bugs, "Keep them inside." He approached the girl, who noticed him and smiled sarcastically, "What the heck did you do?"

"Oh, back off." Laura snapped, marching past him, sending her foot plummeting down to squish a rather colourful and rare-looking beetle. Josh stared at the gooey mess as Laura continued, "Ooooh, what are you going to do now? Arrest me in my own dream?" She giggled, before suddenly pushing Josh roughly, causing him to slip and fall backwards, head smacking into the ground. "Whoops, sorry!" The girl said innocently, before jumping on another bug and running into the fossil exhibit.

"N-NOOOOOO!" Blathers suddenly screeched, hopping over bugs, almost tripping over, "N-NOT THE FOSSILS! A-Ahh... Ahhh!" He gave up avoiding the disgusting critters on the ground and followed Laura into the fossil exhibit. Jenny quickly dashed over to Josh, helping him into a sitting position. The boy held a hand to his head, rather dazed, before stumbling to his feet.

"Are you alright?" Jenny asked with worry, holding his shoulder to support his slightly wavering body.

"Fine." Josh replied shortly, before pointing to the fossil exhibit, "I suppose we should go and stop her before she-"

BANG!

"AAAAAAGGGGGH!" Came Blathers' scream

Josh remained frozen for a while, before he let his arm fall to his side, sighing deeply, "Before that happens." Jenny smiled weakly, looking rather worried, while Josh closed his eyes and lowered his head in frustration.

"Ahoy!" I turned to see a familiar turtle... thing marching towards Bones and I, a large wooden boat in a wagon he was pulling behind him, "Who requested this vessel for journeys into the unknown, eh?" He then looked to me, looking surprised, "Arr, well if it isn't the young lad I met on the bus! Liam, wasn't it?"

"Louis!" I snapped back, not really keen on talking to Kapp'n after the driver tore me from my home.

"Aye, steady on, lad." Kapp'n growled, placing the wagon down beside him as he stared at me, eyes narrowed, "I know you hate me and all tha', but I had no choice in the matter."

"I wouldn't have told anyone!" I suddenly yelled, advancing on the kappa, "You could have let me off! I'd have thought it was a dream!"

"L-Louis, calm down, yip yip!" Bones exclaimed with worry, trying to pull me back from Kapp'n, causing me to almost stumble. I shrugged the dog off, but didn't move.

"Ya know I couldn't do tha'." Kapp'n mumbled

"You could!" I shouted, "It's okay for you, you were born in this world, you're used to it! You probably never had a family to remember!"

"Stop being so selfish, boy!" The driver roared back, the whole pirate voice dropping completely as he glared at me with venom. I stepped back, my own eyes narrowing, "Don't go making assumptions like that when you don't know, you hear me? It's not my fault you caught my bus! If I could take it back, I would!"

"W-Why didn't you drive on?" I asked in a whisper, hatred forming in my eyes as my body began to shake. Kapp'n made no attempt to answer, and I laughed bitterly, "Exactly. I never wanted this. Sure, I caught the wrong bus. You could have driven past me, none of this would have happened.

"D-Don't you want to be here Louis?" The sad tone from Bones caused me to turn and glance at him, "I-I thought we were friends... I thought you liked it here, yip yip..."

I sighed, stepping past the dog and onto the soft sand of the beach. I stood silent for a while, staring at the waves as they slowly attacked the material, before retreating, taking the sand away, away from its home. Another wave hit the land, depositing different granules, leaving them stranded in the unknown, far away from wherever it used to be. "Know that I'd take it all back if I could." The driver said softly from behind me, and I stared at the ground, body trembling, "I never wanted to take you from your home, lad. I had to. You saw the bus." I glanced back up, rolling my eyes discreetly. I still didn't turn around, and there was silence, before Kapp'n continued, "Now... Where are we going?"

"O-Oh..." Bones replied in a stutter, before continuing, "We're going exploring, yip yip. I'm showing Louis the caves..." There was a grunt from the kappa as he pulled the wagon onto the beach.

"Hel' me with this, lad." He asked the dog, who nodded and quickly helped Kapp'n lift the boat up from the wagon and placing it on the very edge of the water, "Tha's it. We heading off now, then?" I frowned, turning from the sea to look at them.

"You're coming too?"

"Aye." Kapp'n replied with little emotion, staring at me seriously, "Tis my boat, and I am not allowed to leave anyone withou' the ability to drive it go alone. My apologies, lad." I nodded stiffly, before approaching the boat and climbing into it, quickly sitting and waiting for the boat to stop rocking. Bones soon followed, sitting next to me. Finally, the kappa climbed in opposite us, holding two oars, and began to push us away from the shore. We soon began to move away from the beach, and quickly turned to head west, past the tall cliff that surrounded Honevray. I stared over the edge, watching the shadows of numerous fish swim past, some tiny, some huge. Honevray soon vanished from view as the boat turned even more, and nothing but the huge cliff filled my eyesight as I looked to the right.

I gazed up at the very top, wondering what was actually up there, if anything. Was that where other animals lived? Or perhaps it was just completely empty. Bones soon nudged me, whispering, "Look, yip yip." I turned to the left to see what the dog was pointing at. In the far distance, I could just make out a large piece of land, which shared the same large cliffs as this one. Because it was a clear day, I could see miles away, and this land was exactly that. Far, far away. Bones then continued, "Th-That's another animal island... There are more towns like Honevray over there. When I leave, yip yip, that's where I'm going."

"Will that be anytime soon?" I asked with sudden worry, glancing to the dog.

"Who knows?" Was his reply as he shrugged, "I love exploring. I don't like staying in one place for too long, I get bored, yip yip. And also, I don't really have a choice when I go. But I'll never forget you or my other friends here, you know that right? I'll keep all my memories, yip yip, and you can still write to me from the post office. But once I'm gone, I'm gone... You'll never see me again." That was a depressing thought, and one that didn't really help my mood in any way. I simply nodded, continuing to stare at the far island, before the boat turned and began to head back towards the land. And soon, it vanished from view. I turned to face the front of the boat, seeing we were now travelling between two cliffs, and there was a large cave up ahead, just a dark hole in comparison to the bright outdoors.

"In we go." Kapp'n muttered calmly as the boat slowly drifted inside. I saw nothing for a while, before my vision adjusted and I could make out the dull green of Kapp'n, and the white of Bones. It was only this dark for a while, as soon we entered a cavern that was lit from several cracks in the cave roof. Huge stalagmites and stalactites protruded all around, and there were lots of large and interesting rocks covering the floor and up the wall. The cave was obviously ancient, and I knew that Blathers would be in heaven if he ever visited.

"How did you find this?" I asked with wonder as I stared up at the fatally sharp cylinders that hung from the roof, shuddering at the thought of one of them falling, "Do the others know this is here?"

"Only Kapp'n and Cube, yip yip." Bones replied, smiling at my reaction to the place, "I told you I love exploring. I wanted to see what was with the giant cliffs, and if anything was inside them. Cube and I wanted to find out, so we contacted Kapp'n and asked for his boat. I think we're the only ones in Honevray who know about this... We could tell others, but I wanted it to be just our secret... It makes it more special, yip yip. But I want to share it with you! You'll keep it secret, right? You are my friend, after all."

I stared at the dog, rather touched by that, before nodding, smiling weakly back, "Of course. Our secret." I looked ahead to see the water come to an end as it reached the cave floor. Kapp'n slowed his rowing, and the boat came to a gentle stop, allowing the three of us to step out into the cave. It was rather chilly in here, and the complete lack of wind was disturbing.

"Arrr," Kapp'n suddenly broke the silence, taking a deep breath, "I missed this place. Such wonders on this world so many don' know abou'." He sat down on a rock, simply staring around, seeming content, "Ya two jus' go ahead, I'll wai' by the boat."

"Thanks, Kapp'n, yip yip!" Bones called, smiling to the Kappa who simply nodded, "Come on Louis! There's something I must show you!" He pulled my arm, and I laughed, following him across the cave until we turned a corner. I gasped, seeing the numerous bones and skull of a dinosaur on the ground, looking as if it hadn't been touched for millenniums, "See? See our amazing discovery? This is one dinosaur the museum is missing. Blathers will be jealous, yip yip! He'd probably pay us millions of Bells for this thing!" I walked towards the skeleton, staring at it in wonder. The animal I'd thought of first wasn't Blathers. Portia. I knew that if the Dalmatian found this, she would be happy, she would have fulfilled her parents' wishes... But I'd promised Bones I wouldn't tell anyone, and I had to stick to it.

I knelt down beside the skull, reaching out my hand to just touch it gently, "I... can't believe such things like this exist... I've never seen anything like this before..." We both fell into silence as we admired the dinosaur, the only noise to pierce the air being the trickling of the river.

"O-OI!" Kapp'n suddenly yelled from behind us, the loud noise bouncing off every wall and roof in the cave. There was a rumbling noise, and I looked to the stalactites with a sudden feeling of fear. But nothing happened. Bones ran back towards the boat, feet echoing on the cold floor. I quickly jogged after him, wondering what had happened. Kapp'n was stood by his boat, glaring to the right angrily as we approached from the right. He looked to us, pointing to a tunnel, "W-We had a stowaway! I didn' see who it were, but they wen' tha' way!"

Bones and I exchanged frowns, and I gulped as the dog headed towards the dark tunnel. The sunlight didn't reach into there, it was nothing but darkness. I stuttered, "B-Bones... No. What if there are sudden drops or something? It's dangerous."

The dog turned back to me with a look of determination, "And someone just ran in there, yip yip! They need to know it's dangerous too!"

A shrill scream suddenly pierced the air, causing all three of us to flinch. There was another rumble, and I felt a shower of dust land in my hair. Bones and I stared into the tunnel with worry and fear, as Kapp'n approached, looking shocked. The scream faded away, and we were left with silence.


	28. Putting the Past Behind

Hm, only one review this time...

Storykage - Thanks. I know there are quite a few grammar errors throughout, I will fix them at some point. And Tortimer does more than just sit in the Town Hall in this game. xD

Putting the Past Behind

"Kapp'n, come on!" I shouted as I glanced back at the cowering Kappa, who edged closer and closer to his boat. Bones had already run into the dark cave ahead, the rumbling was getting louder, and the roof continued to shake. The echoes of Bones' calls wasn't helping much either, and for the first time ever, I was actually afraid for my life. Kapp'n didn't answer for a while, so I pressed him further, "You brought us to this cave! Even if it was Bones' idea, if anyone gets killed under YOUR supervision, you'll be the one that's blamed!"

"Arrr, darn you, lad!" Kapp'n snapped, before shoving past me, "For the love... Just stick by the boa', will ya? Jus' stay there! BONES? Where are ya?" More dust fell on my head as the pirate's voice echoed, before he soon vanished into the darkness of the tunnel. I sighed, deciding to follow Kapp'n's orders by returning to the boat. As I sat down on a rock beside it, another loud rumble shook the cave, and a large chunk of rock fell from the ceiling, smashing into pieces on the floor. The noise of it hitting the ground sent yet another tremor. It was one big chain reaction, and I didn't see it ending well.

"Bones?" Kapp'n shouted again as he fumbled around the dark. He ran his hands against the wall, using that as guidance, and taking every step carefully, testing every inch of the ground. Every footstep created an echo, every echo sent a bit of rubble falling from the ceiling, every bit of rubble created another echo. He heard noises up ahead, and quickened his pace, almost tripping over a few times, but managing to keep his feet. His heart was thudding quickly against his chest, "Arr, why am I doing this? It's 'opeless..." Just as soon as he had finished saying that, he turned a corner to see light up ahead. He jogged towards it, and the tunnel opened up into a gigantic cavern. Kapp'n stared, mouth open in awe, at the height of the ceiling, and then lowered his attention to the great hole in the middle of the floor, and the numerous pieces of broken rock that was falling from the ceiling. And then, finally to Bones, who was lying down by the edge, seeming to be holding onto something.

Kapp'n gasped, dashing over to help, when suddenly there was another rumble, a crack, and Kapp'n fell to the ground unconscious, leaving Bones alone to try and help whoever was dangling over the edge up.

Josh gazed around with surprise at the fossil exhibit, seeing all the bones that covered the floor. Amongst the wreckage was a sobbing brown owl, seemingly trapped beneath a T-Rex skull. Josh and Jenny both rushed over to him, pushing the T-Rex off and helping the distressed owl to his feet. "Are you alright?" Jenny asked quickly, supporting the owl as he wobbled, straightening his bow tie. He limped over to the now-empty exhibit that once held the T-Rex, letting out another sob at the destruction. "It's alright, Blathers, we can fix it!" Jenny encouraged with a forced smile.

"Y-Yes..." Blathers mumbled, voice sounding empty, "I-I suppose we could, wot? But it won't ever be the same again... Portia will be so upset." His shoulders slumped, sighing deeply.

"Portia? Why?" Josh asked with a frown, before beginning to pick up the pieces, examining them closely, trying to work out where each part went, and then dividing them into piles for each part of the body. Jenny quickly helped, looking up at Blathers as she awaited a reply.

"Y-You see..." Blathers replied as he turned back around to face them, looking very depressed, "Before her parents left, they started the T-Rex exhibit, wot. But they were unable, no matter where they looked, to find the remaining pieces... A-And so Portia felt she needed to complete it for them. She spent years after they left, all the rest of her childhood, searching... And then she found it, wot? She completed this exhibit; it was something she used to remember her parents. Something she could say she worked on with them, even if they never knew. A-And if we can't put it back together ever again, she'll be devastated, wot? I wouldn't be surprised if she even left town..."

Josh rose back to his feet, placing a hand on the owl's shoulder comfortingly, "Don't worry, Blathers. Just close the museum for the day, we can fix this. And no matter what, the girl called Laura [i]_will_[/i] pay for what she's done. I don't know where she vanished to, but I'll go and get Bobby to track her down."

"O-Oh yes, the girl, hoo." Blathers stuttered, thinking, "B-But... I don't remember seeing her..."

"What do you mean?" Jenny asked with a frown, also climbing to her feet, "It was her, she ran in here, there was a bang, she ran away. You just didn't see her."

"N-No..." Blathers replied, shaking his head, "She... was standing over there, smirking." He pointed with his wing over to the area near a door leading outside, "Then... Then there was a bang, and she ran."

"Listen, Blathers." Josh interrupted, sighing, "She broke it, it just took a while to fall."

"I... I heard the crack first." Blathers insisted, "A crack, of when the person broke it, and then the bang when it collapsed."

"Blathers, there was no-one else here!" Jenny protested, "It was Laura, you saw what she did to the bugs-"

"THE BUGS!"Blathers suddenly screamed, dashing back towards the main room, "Hoo dear, hoo dear... They're gone!" The three arrived in the main hall to find it empty, "T-The bugs! They're gone! They escaped!" Josh ran his hands through his hair anxiously as he looked out the main door, while Jenny checked the bug exhibit. "A-All the hard work... The years of collecting..."

"The exhibit's empty..." Jenny said seriously as she approached the two, "Everything's gone. And now there's a tarantula and scorpion on the loose too." There was a silence, before she said softly, "So... The entire bug collection gone, and the T-Rex exhibit. She needs to be stopped before she can do anything else. We must find her now."

"What?" The three turned to the doorway, seeing Portia standing there. Before either of them could think of a reply, she darted into the fossil exhibit. Josh, Jenny and Blathers exchanged worried glances, before following her inside. The Dalmatian gazed at the wreckage with little emotion, though her body was shaking slightly. She picked up one of the bones, examining it. She then asked in a bare whisper, "Who did this?"

"Portia..." Jenny said awkwardly, approaching the Dalmatian and hugging her, "We will fix this, okay? It'll be back to normal in no time."

"That's not the point, ruffian." The Dalmation replied, still sounding calm, "Whoever did it destroyed everything I worked so hard on in my childhood. It won't ever be the same... It meant the world to me. Now it's gone, and even if it's rebuilt, it's not something I can say I helped my parents with anymore. It would just be a... replica of the real thing." She cast the bone away, allowing it to clatter on the smooth floor, before turning back to face them, "Nobody understands how much it meant to me, ruffian. I was unsure about staying here anyway, this just confirmed it. I can't live up to be my parents; I can't find everything there is to know about Honevray. It's time I just put my past behind me."

"Portia, wait!" Jenny exclaimed, blocking her exit, "Don't make such a decision, of course there's still more to find! Honevray has loads of-"

"I said it's time to put my past behind me, ruffian." Portia cut Jenny off, before stepping past her and leaving the museum.


	29. Not A Dream

Sorry to disappoint all three reviewers who only focussed on the Portia bit of the last chapter. :P This one returns to Louis, Bones and Kapp'n.

Radiant Silver Star - Thanks. ^^ I'm glad you love it. Portia's your favourite? As in, favourite villager in the games or character in this? Heh, yeah. I hate how all the animals are the same. I just took their basic personalities and split them for my characters. Like the lazies always talk about having a fossil collection to make them look like a super-hero or something, so I put that to Bones who loves adventures etc. The food-loving idiot side to Cube. I took the jerky sport-loving jock and gave it to Tank. The more 'cool guy' attitude to Roald. The sweet and kind of 'normal' to Mitzi, the 'easily-offended, determined' side to Dora. The snobby clothes-loving side of snooty to Purrl, but the artistic, mysterious side to Portia. The hyperactive, real peppy side to Rosie, the sweet/random/talkative side to Nibbles. etc etc.

amyismynamey - Ahaha, I ended up feeling sorry for Laura by the end of this next chapter. She's gotten herself and others into such a big mess. :P Thanks.

o-CrystalSakura-o - Yaay, another review from my most dedicated reviewer. Yes, I understand how you could easily hate Laura, perhaps even more after this chapter. But trust me, once the whole dream scenario is over, I intend to try and make her a bit more likeable. Buuut, as you know, actions have consequences. And I've already got the next scenario planned. Heh. Haha, yeah, they're both based on the same website so I didn't really go original with my characters. I never intended to put them anywhere else when I first wrote them, so I didn't feel the need to change the characters. Thank you, as always!

Not A Dream

"H-Help!" The girl cried, clutching the furry paw that held her tightly, trying to pull herself up, but to no success, "Help me, please!" Bones tried pulling her up, but he couldn't. His body was at too awkward an angle to manage it, and he didn't exactly have much muscle. Small tears appeared in the corners of her blue eyes, "P-Please don't let go."

"I won't, yip yip!" Bones exclaimed in determination, trying to pull her up again, "Try... Try and reach up for the edge, I won't let go." Bones lifted her slightly once more, and she made a flailing attempt at grabbing the edge. Another tremor shook the cave, and the stone she did manage to grab hold of crumbled in her fingers, causing her to drop again, the sudden weight that pulled on Bones' arms almost causing the dog to let go. "Take... your time." He panted, lifting her again, "Don't panic. Just reach for the edge." His voice sounded strained as he struggled to pull her up higher. The girl nodded timidly, before reaching for the edge, managing to grab hold of it. "Good, yip yip, now... Try and pull yourself up... I'll help."

"Th-This is not a dream..." The black-haired girl mumbled, trying to push herself up, Bones managing to grab her from underneath the arms and begin pulling her up, "This is real... Isn't it? I-I'm Laura, by the way..." A groan came from behind Bones, and the dog glanced back quickly to see Kapp'n lying on the ground, stirring slightly.

"Listen, just concentrate on getting u-" Another ferocious tremor and a boom sounded, and the ground beneath Bones' feet crumbled, "ARRRGH!" With a burst of adrenaline, he pulled Laura, who screamed, over the edge, causing her to whack into the ground roughly. But Bones fell, now hanging from the cliff with the tips of his paws, much like how Laura had been just moments ago. The ground continued to shake, almost like an earthquake, "H-Help, yip yip!" He looked over to the girl, seeing her fringe beginning to be dyed red. A wound was on her head from when she had hit the ground after Bones threw her. She was unconscious. A jagged rock struck Bones from above, cutting through the fur and skin below his right ear. He cried out in pain, before looking over to Kapp'n. The pirate was staggering to his feet, a nasty wound on his own head, and he looked like he was about to pass out again. "K-Kapp'n! G-Get Louis!" He yelped, trying to push himself up. He felt dizzy.

"W-Whaaa..." Kapp'n groaned weakly, "W-Why is the earth moving? Yarr, I didn't get drunk again, did I..."

"Kapp'n, yip yip!" Bones shouted, before wincing as another tremor sounded, "Kapp'n. The cave is about to collapse. G-Get Louis... Please..." The Kappa looked over to Bones, before beginning to register what the dog had said, and stumbling back towards the dark tunnel. Bones tried pulling himself up again, grip on the stone tightening, but the angle was too awkward to get anywhere by himself. He looked back to the tunnel, seeing Kapp'n had already vanished inside. He then looked to Laura, who was still out cold, blood covering her pale face. There was a crack, and Bones glanced behind him to see a whole stack of stone from the opposite side drop into the deep abyss that lay below him. There was a huge bang, and a stalactite shattered on the ground just inches away from Bones' paws.

Suddenly, he heard running footsteps, and a human hand grabbed hold of Bones' arms. The dog looked up in relief to see me, who said, "Don't worry, Bones, I've... I've got you." There was another crack from above, and I looked up in fear as a huge chunk of rock moved slightly. "Okay, listen, I need you to let go of the rock."

"W-What?" Bones exclaimed, fear reaching his eyes, the bravery that had been there vanishing all in an instant, "N-No..."

"Trust me!" I insisted with determination, gazing into my friend's petrified stare, "I'm not going to let go. Let go, or I can't pull you up. When I've pulled you up high enough, use your legs to push yourself onto the surface, okay?" There was a moment's silence, before Bones nodded slightly. "Let go..." Bones closed his eyes tight, before releasing his grip on the rock. There was a moment's sudden strain on my arms, before I pulled with all my strength, lifting the smaller dog up high enough for him to use his feet to climb up the remaining rock. I gave one last pull, and we both landed in a heap on the surface. Safe.

BOOM!

...Or maybe not that safe. The large chunk of stone fell from the cave roof. I gazed up in shock, and Bones tackled me, sending us both flying out of the way, rolling across the rock. The rock shattered on the floor, sending the ground beneath it and the ceiling chunk tumbling into the drop below. "Run!" I shouted, before crouching down, lifting the unfamiliar girl up, supporting her on my shoulders. I frowned, glancing around, "Where did Kapp'n go?"

Bones glanced back at me from the tunnel entrance with confusion, "What, yip yip? I... I told him to find you! I thought he'd found you and waited by the boat!"

I shook my head, worry suddenly flooding through me, "I never saw him... Quickly! Back to the boat, I might have missed him in the tunnel... It's so dark." Bones didn't need telling twice, and darted into the cave. Pulling Laura close, I followed at a slower pace, careful not to accidentally bash the girl in my arms on the tunnel walls. I kept a close eye out for any sign of Kapp'n in the tunnel, but there was no sign of him. I heard a bang of a rock behind me, and I wondered if the passage back through the tunnel had just been sealed. Every second I spent in this cave, I feared for my life. It just took one step out of time and a single rock to fall from above me, and that was it. But luckily, luck held for us and we were soon safely out of the tunnel.

We quickly looked around the large cavern, seeing the boat had drifted off half way down the river, but there was no sign of Kapp'n. Chunks of rock were falling all around us, and I shouted, "There's no time to look! Get in the boat! We'll... We'll get help from Honevray."

"B-But he might be in danger, yip yip!" Bones protested, looking shocked at my accusation. A rock shattered right beside him, causing him to flinch.

"That proves my point!" I snapped, "This girl's injured. We need to get her to safety. We've done the best we can do, now get in the boat." Bones looked at me uncertainly, and I gazed back pleadingly, "Trust me..." Bones' eyes widened slightly, remembering the previous time I'd said that. I'd saved his life. He nodded unsurely, before running towards the drifting boat. We were soon wading through shallow water, but eventually we caught up with the boat, steadying it. Bones climbed in, taking Laura from my arms and setting her down. I grabbed the oar, climbing in myself, pushing against the rock to get us going as quickly as possible.

As we drifted away from our narrow death, I wondered what had become of Kapp'n? I sighed as another boom sounded, bowing my head, guilt flooding through me. There was nothing we could have done.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Alriiighty, that was my favourite chapter so far. I just loved imagining it and playing it out in my head. I definitely didn't intend for it to be so action-packed.


	30. A Mystery

I have 67 reviews for this thing? ._. oh yeah, that is cause someone reviewed all 29 chapters. xDDD By the way, I am going on holiday from **7th-22nd August **and I intend to use a lot of my freetime writing this and my Pokemon fanfic. Of course, I may not bother at all, but you know, I'll try. xD Hopefully expect a load of chapters when I come back.

blazing-atom97 - Yeah, I didn't want the whole 'dream' thing to last too long, before she screws up the whole town completely. Thanks xD

audburrito - Thanks a lot!

powerpuffklutz - Haha, well, if you still want to read a Pokemon fanfic, the other fanfic I write is Pokemon. :P Thanks! Jenny's one of my favourites, and I suppose Louis, too. No-one's cooler than the awesome Static, though. xD Thank you so much. I'm happy you're happy.

coolness 123 - Heh, thanks, but don't count Kapp'n as lot just yet. ;)

Ofweaponarydefences - Only one of my regular reviewers reviewed this time? =O Hope you enjoyed your holiday. Thank you for the review. Sci-fi? Nah, that's probably my least fav genre. Mystery? Just take a look at this chapter title, my friend, for that answer.

ultima-owner - Ahh, yes, you reviewed my Pokemon story too... For every chapter. Thanks for all of that. xD

A Mystery

Eventually, we found our boat brushing against the sand of the Honevray beach. I dropped the oar, climbing out of the boat. I glanced to Bones, noticing he looked a bit pale, "Are you alright?" I asked with worry. The dog nodded slightly, and I glanced to the dried up blood that coated the upper right of his head. He then helped me to pick up Laura, climbing out to help support her. I heard footsteps, and turned to see a bunch of people rushing over to us, including Josh, Jenny and Bobby.

"What happened?" Josh asked in shock as he gazed at the unconscious girl, "Where did you go? Just... what?"

"Questions can wait for later!" Bobby snapped, shoving the human out of the way and picking up Laura in her muscular arms, "You, Bones, follow me." She turned on the spot and hurriedly carried Laura towards the Police Station, the same place where I had recovered on my first night.

Bones nodded tiredly, stumbling forwards, before losing his balance and stumbling forward. "Woah!" Jenny exclaimed, darting forward and catching the Bones, and I quickly knelt down to help her. "Bones? Bones, can you hear me?" Jenny asked repeatedly, but the dog was out of hold. She glanced back, "Josh, help me." Josh hurried forward, falling to his knees and helping Jenny to get the dog to his feet. "Okay..." Jenny muttered, before they both helped Bones towards the Police Station. Jenny looked back to me, "Come with us."

"W-Wait." I said weakly.

"Louis, we don't have time." Josh interrupted, turning back from me.

"N-No... Kapp'n." I mumbled as I followed them, feeling rather faint, "Kapp'n... He's in danger. Back at the cave."

"What cave?" Jenny asked with a look of confusion.

"Louis, just come to the station." Josh ordered before I could answer, "Explain it there; we need to help Bones right now." Without waiting for another interruption, he and Jenny quickly continued to take Bones to the station. I looked back to the boat on the beach, wondering if I should just go back there alone before it was too late. I sighed, deciding against it, and hurrying towards the Police Station. I don't think this was quite the adventure that Bones had planned. Super cool adventure, indeed.

"What the heck do we do now?" Josh asked in a snap, thumping his head back against in the wall as he glanced at the group that was stood in the room. His blue eyes scanned from each person to the next, waiting for one of us to answer. Jenny and I were stood closest; I was sat down with a hot mug of hot chocolate in my hands to calm me down. The other occupants consisted of the other fourteen villagers, Tom Nook, Blathers, Celeste, Brewster, Pete (who, by the way, is the town mail pelican), Pelly, Mabel, Topas, Soap, Copper and Booker (The guards). None of us answered, so Josh continued, "Do any of you even know anything about rescue missions?" he glanced to me, a flash of anger crossing his eyes, "Why didn't we know about this cave before? What were you THINKING going there anyway without telling us?"

"Josh, calm down." Jenny said with little emotion, shooting a serious expression to her best friend, who didn't respond, "Getting angry about it isn't going to help at all. Louis had no idea about it either, remember? From what he told us, Bones and Cube stumbled upon it with Kapp'n a long time ago. They didn't know it wasn't safe, and Louis certainly didn't either."

"Yeah, don't blame Louise, ker-POW!" Tank added with a hint of anger, no help at all.

"My name's Louis." I mumbled in reply.

"It wasn't his fault, silly!" Rosie added crossly, "It was that human girl! Look at what she's done to this town in less than a day, silly! She released all those icky bugs around town, she destroyed that totally awesome fossil that Portia put together, and now she's probably killed Kapp'n, she's in hospital and so is Bones! Don't blame Louis, silly!" The whole room burst into agreement, causing Josh to close his eyes in frustrated.

"Enough!" Josh shouted, and the room fell silent, "Alright, I'm sorry. It's not your fault. But this can wait. What I need to know is who we have here that actually knows anything about rescuing someone!"

"Well, I don't exactly know about rescuing, b-b-buddy..." Roald finally spoke up, causing every occupant to look to him, "But do we really have time to think about that? We have lots of capable people here, and right now, Kapp'n may just be minutes from dying. I suggest we just get out there and do what we can, b-b-buddy."

"But contact the rescue people first should we be unable to do anything." Pete added, and Roald nodded in response.

"Alright, I guess we have no time to waste, then." Josh replied, pushing himself off the wall, "We're going to need to actually find this cave..."

"I'll show you, I think I-" I started.

"No." Josh interrupted with a shake of his head, pushing me back down gently as I started to get up, "You need to recover. Even if you didn't suffer any physical wounds, you just came from a very traumatic experience. Pete, would you be able to fly ahead of us and try and spot the cave?" The pelican stood up straight, and nodded, "Alright. It seems no-one here knows what we're actually doing, but this is the best we have. Topas, I need the boats from the pier, I need you to do a quick check over them. They haven't been used for quite a while. We don't need everyone... Hm. Pete, Copper, Topas, Static, Roald, Tank, Kabuki, Wolfgang..."

"I'm coming too, woof." Goldie suddenly said, climbing to her feet from her spot on the floor with Rosie and Dora, "Listen, my parents were both doctors. It's my ambition to be one, woof! If Kapp'n is hurt... I know first aid; I've taken a long course in it!"

"And why is it only boys, squeaky?" Dora asked crossly.

"Don't worry, Dora, I'm coming too." Jenny replied with a grin to the mouse.

"No you're not." Josh interrupted, "No arguments. Goldie... Alright, you can come."

"And why can't I?" Jenny asked, eyes narrowing. Josh stared into her eyes.

"...Okay, fine, you can." Josh quickly surrendered, and Jenny smiled, "Okay... Everybody is to listen to Pete, Copper, Topas and I. This will be dangerous, and seeing as we don't have any professionals-"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Everyone glanced to the door, seeing a human standing there. His hair was dark, almost black, his skin the complete opposite. Very pale. Josh stared, mouth slightly ajar, "Okay, right... Who are you, and what are you doing here? Where did you come from? And what the heck is with all these humans that shouldn't be here?"

"Why shouldn't we?" The boy asked, stepping into the town hall, which is where we were all sat. He was dressed in dark clothes, and he looked around eighteen. All eyes, both human and animal, looked from him back to Josh, who stepped forward to approach him.

"...We don't have time for this." Josh said in frustration, stopping in front of the taller boy, "Who are you?"

"I am here to help." The boy ignored the direct question, stepping past Josh to glance around the town, "I am... at your service, if you want to call it that. I'm trained in this field of expertise, and if you want any chance of finding who you're missing, you need me."

"Your name?" Josh pushed coldly, the dislike obvious in his voice.

"My name?" The boy smiled thinly, "My name will remain a mystery." Josh smiled back, just as fake. The room was silent, obviously confused by the situation.


	31. A Matter of Trust

Yay lots of reviewsss

ultima-owner - Indeed

Mightyenapup - New reviewer! Yes, I know about my silly tense problems, I think I have fixed that now, though. Ehhh, I keep getting that wrong, dalmatian. Apologies. 'It was a bit unrealistic how Louis saw animals as people so quickly, but he does still seem to be struggling.' ...It did take 18 chapters. :P But yeah, I guess so, looking at the time scale. I couldn't drag it on forever though, and there was that bit with Kapp'n. Yes, hopefully I can put a story to the other characters too, Portia really seems a popular character at the moment... And Josh will hopefully be an interesting character. Thank you for the review :)

amyismynamey - Haha, a bit cliche really. Thanks. And you'll find out soon :p

o-CrystalSakura-o - Well... Josh, Laura and Jenny are based on real people, while Mystery is based on a character from an old roleplay of mine. You see, some of the elements here are based on it, such as the restaurant, new characters etc. Mystery was in that roleplay. And haha, yes, I thank my readers for giving me that little 'Louise' idea.

audburrito - Wow... Thanks. I'm sure if you look around, you'll find a better fanfic than this. :P

Radiant Silver Star - Oh? She's my second favourite Snooty in the games (Purrl being my favourite) but I'm glad I improved your fondness for her... I never expected Portia of all the characters to be so popular. :P May have to reconsider her leaving then ;) (Nah, not really, she leaves when she leaves, I'm afraid) And cheese is awesome, I greatly approve.

Ysavvryl - New reviewer... Again! Thank you. Yeah, the personalities suck in the games. Just six different villagers, with dozens of appearances. And haha, the key thing was mainly an explanation for the game's oddness, but it does have a relevance... Fairly soon. "There are points here and there where you slip from first-person to third while in Louis' passages" Yep, I will eventually go and fix that. :P Thanks. " Plus, now that you have varying events where Louis isn't around, you might want to add line dividers (there's a button for that on the edit screen) to split up those scenes." Woah, woah, you can do that? I've been waiting for something to use like that! *...Spots the line button* Lemme test it!

* * *

OMG A LINE! YAAAAY!

Icestorm-of-Thunderclan - Aw, come on, give Laura a chance. D:

A Matter Of Trust

Splash... Splash...

Three boats drifted down the narrow river towards the cave. A cloud of dust seemed to hang overhead, causing some of the boat occupants to cough slightly. From the lead boat, Josh pushed himself up slightly, narrowing his eyes as he stared ahead at the cave above. He turned around, glancing to Jenny, Goldie and Static, the other occupants of the first boat. He gave a small smile, before looking to the second boat which had Copper, 'Mystery' (The residents had settled for calling him that), Wolfgang and Roald. "Hold." Josh said softly, and Copper nodded, turning back to the final boat which had Pete, Topas, Tank and Kabuki. The three boats soon came to a stop, and all twelve pairs of eyes stared ahead. Every one of the twelve wore helmets. The entrance to the cave was blocked by a pile of boulders, a small gap at the top.

"...Well, that complicates things, krrzt." Static muttered, but Josh ignored the squirrel, climbing from the boat into the shallow water.

"Copper, Pete, Topas, follow me." He commanded, and the three quickly left their boats, approaching the human. However, Josh soon noticed that Mystery had tagged along too. Josh gave a frown of disapproval, before sighing and stepping forward to the hill of rock, "...The gap at the top is too small for someone of my height to climb through. As with either of you three... We need someone small, agile and good at climbing." He turned around, glancing back to the seven left in the boats, seeming deep in thought, "The only two who are small enough to fit through are Goldie and Kabuki..." He sighed, knowing what he would have to do now, "...Kabuki! Come over here."

"Now, now, hang on." Josh let out another sigh, turning to face Mystery expectantly. The boy's arms were folded over his dark coat, cold eyes staring at the younger human, "We need not send one of our men in alone. We remove some of the upper rocks, and the five of us can go in. That means we can also drag Kapp'n out, from the sounds of it, he would not fit through that gap." He glanced back to the red and white cat as he skulked over, looking up at the mountain of rocks. "It does not matter, Kabuki, you can go back. We can handle-"

"Back off, my friend." Josh snapped coldly, and Mystery raised his eyebrows. Josh considered the situation again, before saying, "Kabuki, I need you to climb up through that gap. You and Goldie are the only ones who can fit, and you are the better climber. When in there, I need you to look around for Kapp'n while we all start clearing the rocks. But it is key that you be careful, and for heaven's sake, put that helmet on like I instructed!" The cat rolled his eyes, placing the orange helmet with a torch attached back over his head, making a fake salute. "...Stop messing around. Do you understand what you have to do?"

"I do, meooo-OH." Kabuki shrugged briefly, stepping forward towards the hill, "But I want Goldie with me, meooo-OH."

Josh frowned, "...S-She can go in once the rocks are cleared-"

"No. Goldie, meooo-OH, or I ain't going in." Kabuki insisted, folding his arms slyly over his chest. Josh's eyes narrowed.

"Let the girl in." Mystery agreed with Kabuki, "She claims she is a doctor, and Kapp'n may need someone of her expertise."

"W-Will you stop interfering?" Josh snapped, shooting another glare at the taller boy. He stopped, considering what the two had said, before nodding reluctantly, "...Goldie! Can you come here, please?" Mystery smiled smugly, leaning back against the cliff-face as he watched Goldie stumble slightly out the boat, rushing over enthusiastically. "Listen, Goldie... Kabuki refuses to go into the cave without you, because you two are the only ones who can squeeze through that gap. You do not have to do this, we can still clear the rocks, but that will take time. If you are completely sure about doing it, then I ask you to follow Kabuki inside. If Kapp'n is injured, it may be time for you to put your skills to the test." Goldie considered the request with a frown.

"L-Let me get my first aid kit, woof!" Josh smiled slightly, nodding, before watching the dog jog back to her boat, picking up her rucksack and dashing back over. She placed the rucksack on a rock, emptying out the items she didn't require, meaning the rucksack was no longer too big to fit through the gap. She then strapped it to herself once more, approaching Kabuki, "R-Ready, sir!"

Josh watched them for a while, before turning to Pete, Copper and Topas, "If you three start moving some of the top rocks... Wait for them to get inside and far away from you in case it collapses... Copper and Topas, you can then perhaps pass the rocks to Pete so he can fly down with them. We don't need to clear the whole thing, just enough so we can all fit through... A search may be needed." He turned to Mystery, thinking for a moment, "If you are really an 'expert' at this expertise, then... You can lead the other animals and instruct them in the search."

"Glad to have your approval, boss!" Mystery gave a jokey salute, causing Josh to roll his eyes, before they both returned their attention to Kabuki and Goldie.

"Go ahead of me, meooo-OH." Kabuki murmured, giving Goldie a gentle push up the hill, "I'm right behind you, so don't worry about falling, meooo-OH." Goldie gazed down at him, seeming surprised at how he was not being mean, before nodding and beginning to slowly climb. Jenny, Static, Wolfgang, Roald and Tank approached from their boats, watching as the two slowly progressed to the top of the collapse. Goldie stumbled a few times, but Kabuki was always right behind to catch and steady her, "Careful... We are almost there."

Josh turned away, glancing to the new arrivals, "Roald, Static and Wolfgang... Go and secure the boats, there is rope in the front one. Don't want them drifting away, now." The penguin, squirrel and wolf nodded, before silently heading for the three boats, Roald grabbing the three bundles of rope. The penguin soon began to give instructions, and Static and Wolfgang followed his lead.

"Real teamwork you have here, boss." Mystery commented, actually sounding genuine as he pushed himself off the cliff face, approaching the younger boy's side, "Nice community you have. Tis unusual." Josh turned, giving Kabuki and Goldie another glance, before turning to face the strange boy.

"...Why do you call me boss?" He asked, before nodding slightly, "Yes. We may not be the most skilled people, but our community is unbreakable." He turned to face Tank, frowning slightly, "Hmm... I suppose you could help Topas, Copper and Pete clear the rocks, if you're up for-"

"AHHHH!" Josh quickly turned around, eyes widening as he stared to Goldie and Kabuki. Jenny let out a gasp, and the group quickly stepped to the base of the hill. Goldie dangled from the top, but fortunately, Kabuki had grabbed her.

"G-Goldie, don't panic!" Jenny cried, before looking for a way to climb up, "Just hold on! You too, Kabuki!"

"Like we have a choice, meooo-OH!" Kabuki snapped back, using all his effort to keep his grip on the rock, the weight of Goldie unable to allow him to climb back up.

"W-We have to do something!" Jenny exclaimed, turning to Josh.

"...I'm on it." Before Josh or Jenny could protest, Mystery darted forward, swiftly climbing the rocks as if an expert, reaching Goldie and Kabuki after only a few seconds. He quickly found a safe footing to stand on without falling, reaching out for Goldie, "Take my hands." The labrador gazed at him with uncertainty, and a look of distrust. "...Trust me, and you are not in any position not to. There would be no point in me dropping you, Goldie. There are nine others down there, I would not escape and would just be throwing my life away."

Josh and Jenny watched anxiously from the face, Jenny clinging to Josh's arm for comfort. "...I think he can be trusted, Josh..." The boy said nothing, but only sighed as he waited for Goldie's decision, clearly not too happy about his leadership being taken away from him.

"Take my hands, Goldie." Mystery said again, his usually cold eyes for once looking warm as he gazes into Goldie's. The dog stared back, before reaching out with her one free paw to take Mystery's hand. The boy quickly grabbed her arm with both, before looking to Kabuki, "Lower her against the rock so she doesn't whack herself when you let go." Kabuki stared at him suspiciously, before nodding curtly and slowly pulling her against the rock he was perched on. "Let go in... Three, two, one... Now." Kabuki released Goldie's paw, ready to grab her again should Mystery fail, but the boy quickly pulled Goldie to him, to safety. The group below cheered loudly, and Kabuki quickly scrambled up the rock, up to a safe position, letting out a sigh of relief. "Do you want to go on?" Goldie considered the question, and nodded, before hurriedly climbing up after Kabuki, the cat helping. Mystery smiled slightly, before looking down to where Josh and Jenny stood.

"...Yes, I suppose he can." Josh murmured, giving a nod of approval to Mystery, folding his arms again as the others around him continued to cheer and clap.


	32. A Second Chance

Okay, before I get to the usual review reply thingies... you may have noticed my new description! :D I'm so happy... BWIADW is the TOP reviewed fanfic on all 631 AC fanfics on this website! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed (Especially to ultima-owner, if not for your constant reviews, I wouldn't be top :P) and please continue reviewing so I can keep this achievement. *Hugs you all*

Also, some other stats (All based on AC category)...

#3rd Most Words

#1st Most Chapters

#1st Most Words in both General and Friendship Category

#1st Most Words in Ongoing Stories

Quite a popular AC fanfic I have here! I never expected that... And also, I hope the silly glitches won't prevent you from reading this.

ultima-owner: The spice of life, huh? Interesting way of describing him.

Mightyenapup - Thanks, it's one of my personal favourites. He definitely has a story, believe me. And yeah, I sometimes feel guilty for making my 2nd fav AC character of all mean. He's just sly, really, he's not a villain.

bombrocks23 - Ahhh, thank you! Favourite fanfic ever? Means a lot. Here's your update.

texancoconut51 - Btw, nice username :P. Mystery is fairly awesome, yes. Thank you... And I'm not sure whether to add romance or not, it would mean boosting my rating up to a 'T', and also, as the main website I post chapters on is VERY strict on romance (meaning none whatsoever), it will mean that I have to provide bonus parts for ... it's a bit fiddly. I'll consider it, but if I go for it, I do know who the romances will be. :P

emma2679 - Tis Kapp'n ;) And haha, there was I thinking you were being nice. Thank you :) ...Who's Naz? A friend?

A Second Chance

"What are we going to do about her then, silly?" The sound of a young, childish and feminine voice reached Laura's ears as she stirred slightly. She felt burning pain in her head, and as she tried to open her eyes, the light was far too bright that she quickly scrunched them shut again. As her senses began to return, she realised that she was lying on a fairly soft bed, a duvet covering her small body, and two fluffy pillows supporting her head. She noticed she wasn't wearing her clothes, but instead, some gown of some sort. Still trying to make sense of her situation, she returned her attention to the conversation that seemed to be happening around her.

"Nothing we can do." A sharp bark followed, it came from a woman, but actually sounded fairly masculine. This voice continued to say, "I understand your frustrations, and her actions will be dealt with, but she can't leave Honevray yet. We can lock her away, force her to do work to redeem herself, whatever, but she has to stay."

"B-But that is ridiculous, niblet!" Another voice exclaimed crossly, sounding fairly similar to the first voice, but even more higher-pitched and seeming to have trouble with even speaking, "Look at what she did to poor Bones and Louis! And she probably killed-"

"I know!" The bark suddenly interrupted in a shout, cutting off the young girl, "You've said several times! Listen to what I'm saying. She _will _be punished, and if we just let her leave, she'll go freely. You want her to be punished, right?"

"...I'd prefer kicked out, niblet." The third voice muttered in disgust, probably pouting.

"Hey, silly, is she awake...?" The first voice asked, and there was sudden silence. Laura let out a sigh, opening her eyes, forcing them to adjust to the light. Her vision was blurred, and she could make out something above her, a brown face... an abnormally large nose. The vision eventually cleared, and she flinched, finding herself staring at the head of a dog. She immediately screamed, shoving Bobby back, but her arm was gripped forcefully by her, and held back. Laura struggled, now trying to kick and punch with her arm.

"Calm down!" Bobby barked powerfully, and Laura looked afraid, halting her efforts, breathing quickly, "You've hurt too many already, don't make another mistake. Stay still, and let me examine you and help you." The dog retreated from the bed, releasing Laura's arm. She immediately turned her head to the right to follow her, and then seeing the owners of the two voices. A blue cat wearing complete pink, and a greeny-blue squirrel with huge teeth. She stared at them with fear, before changing her attention to the fourth occupant of the room, one who had not spoken. A human boy sat in the corner, staring at her. Brown hair, hazel eyes, round face... Relief flowed through her at the sight of a human, it made her felt just slightly more relaxed. But I just stared at her, almost sadly.

"...W-What is going on...?" The girl asked weakly, not taking her eyes off of me. I climbed slowly to my feet, and Laura noticed my dirty clothes, covered in dust, mud and even blood, causing her to pale a bit. I approached her, stopping a few feet from her bed.

"...Don't you remember?" I asked, examining her. Her head was wrapped in bandages, her face was pale and still covered in dirt from the cave, and she looked weak in general. Her slender form was barely visible beneath the duvet that covered her, but I could see the top of a white gown just beneath her neckline. But the expression on her face showed only fear and worry, probably only for herself. I waited for her to respond as she seemed to think, before she shook her head slightly, causing me to sigh. "Well, that's unfortunate. You'll find out soon enough anyway, so I may as well tell you-"

"You hurt some of our best friends, niblet, and probably killed someone" Nibbles blurted out angrily, glaring at the girl with hatred, "Th-That's what you did, niblet!"

"Nibbles!" I snapped, looking to the squirrel with irritation, causing her to bow her head in apology. I turned back to the confused girl, "...According to Bones, you seemed to think you were in a dream. And according to these two behind me, you also destroyed the town hall... you then snuck onto a boat that Kapp'n, Bones and I were on. We went to a cave, you got stuck, and then the cave began to collapse. Bones and yourself got injured while trying to rescue you, and Kapp'n got left behind, possibly dead." Laura blinked slowly, trying to take all this information in.

"W-What...?" She stuttered weakly, gazing at me, eyes wide, before frowning, "But, I... a dream... what..." Realisation suddenly hit her face, and she gave me a horrified stare, "I-I remember! I... thought it was a dream.. I was afraid, it seemed so real, I couldn't wake up... but... the pain..." Tears began to fall from her eyes, trying to sit up. I leaned down to gently keep her still, and she stared at me, "I-I can't stay here anymore! Look what I've done here already..."

"That's ridiculous, nible-"

"Nibbles!" I shouted, louder than before, sending the squirrel a glare. She rolled her eyes, folding her arms crossly.

Laura gave the squirrel a brief glance, before sighing, "See what I mean? You all hate me... I've messed things up already."

I sighed, before sitting down in the chair beside the bed, looking at her thoughtfully, "The people here... can be forgiving, you know. It's a small town, a small community. Just redeem yourself, do good stuff, work hard and so on."

"...I-I want to go home." Laura suddenly said, seeming to ignore what I had just said. I gave another deep sigh, closing my eyes for a moment.

"You can't." I replied, and Laura opened her mouth to protest, before I cut her off, "Look, I'm not the one who needs to explain this. Josh can explain when he's back. Just... I was in the same boat just a few months ago, I really hated it here and wanted to go home. But you can't, and the sooner you accept it, the sooner you can start a new life here... Trust me, Honevray's a nice place."

Laura shifted slightly in her bed, pulling herself out of the duvet until she was sitting up, resting back against the pillows, "Why are you being nice to me...?"

I frowned at the question, before shrugging a bit and replying, "...I believe everyone should have a second chance."


	33. Rumbles and Groans

Lots of reviews...

ultima-owner - Indeed, will she achieve that?

bomrocks23 - Thanks! Sorry for the delay, with this... hope you keep reading.

emma2679 - Well, hello Naz. And yes, it's Kapp'n. Wow, you addicted? xD Sorry to make you wait another month

misty-the-fox103 - Sorry, took a bit long with this. Thanks

texancoconut51 - I don't feel I need to write super long chapters with this fanfic. But if the readers feel I should, then I'll try. Thanks.

Willowleaf2560 - Ooooh, I hope it follows that route. And hmm, you'll have to wait and find out.

Julia9922 - Hey there, Julia!

Signel-chan - Thank you! And yeah, although it is very cliché, I try to make it as unique as possible. Thanks! Louis is cool like that.

Xamem-The Heart of Oblivion - Yeah, I really ought to edit those in the first few chapters. Thank you.

Lumoa - Wow... that's a lot to read. Thank you so much! I'm quite happy with how I made Louis, and I'm sure you'll warm to Laura eventually.

Rumbles and Groans

"Come on, almost there!" Josh exclaimed, stepping back as Pete landed nearby, depositing another rock on the newly formed pile by the cliff wall. He stopped, catching his breath, the work taking an obvious toll on his strength. Josh then looked to the top of the blockage, where Mystery, Tank, Roald, Copper and Topas were moving rocks out of the way. Kabuki and Goldie had already entered the small gap, and had managed to safely descend to the other side. As Roald climbed down from the blockage, Josh jogged over to help him place the rather large rock on the pile.

"Phew... what a work-out, b-b-buddy." Roald groaned, stretching, "But the gap's almost big enough for all of us to climb through, now. Just need to get rid of a few more unstable rocks so there's no risk of anyone taking a wrong step and falling, b-b-buddy." Josh gave a simple nod, before looking to Mystery as he next descended, placing his own rock on the pile. The boy then smirked to Josh, giving another salute. Josh gave a faint smile, before turning away and heading towards the boats, where Jenny rummaging through bags.

"What's up?" Josh asked, holding the boat still as Jenny searched, "Lost something?"

"Nah, just getting bottles of water ready." The girl exclaimed, not looking to Josh as she pulled a bottle from the bag, placing it by four others, "How's it going over there?" She then straightened to her full height, jabbing Josh rather roughly in the chest, causing him to wince, "And why aren't you helping them up there?" Josh gave a sigh, glancing over his shoulder to the group clearing the way. Wolfgang and Static were by the pile of collected rocks, ensuring that they were positioned correctly and just organising them so it was easy and quick for the other workers to place the rocks down. "Well?"

"...In case you haven't noticed, I'm not the most muscular person." Josh replied eventually, glancing back to his best friend, sounding rather awkward, "I don't want them to feel crowded, the more people up there, the more chance of an accident."

"Really? That's the only reason?" Jenny asked sceptically, before heading to the second boat, shoes making splashes in the shallow water with each step. Josh watched her, not moving for a while, before eventually following, helping her to get bottles of water out of the bags. "Put them over here." She instructed, pointing to the front of the boat, "And make sure they don't fall in the water." Josh gave a simple nod, placing the bottle from Mystery's bag with them. He went to move onto Wolfgang's, before pausing. Jenny didn't notice as he returned to the human boy's bag, going to look inside it. There was a red folder inside, full of paper and files. He went to touch it. "Josh!" He looked to Jenny, startled by the interruption. She sighed, "Give that here." She snatched the bag from his hands, zipping it up again and tucking it under the seat, before frowning at him, "I know you don't trust him, but looking through his bag... really?"

"There's something not right about him." Josh replied calmly, looking into Jenny's eyes, moving then on to Wolfgang's backpack, continuing, "We told them to bring only necessities, and he has some big heavy folder full of paper with him?"

"Well... perhaps it's important to him." Jenny suggested, going to the opposite side of the boat to claim Roald's drink, "Instead of being cliché, cause that always ends with being caught, what exactly do you think he has to hide? Why do you suspect him, but not Louis? Sure, he's strange, rather cocky, and salutes you every time he sees you... but I don't get why you distrust him, he saved Goldie." Josh rolled his eyes, shoving Wolfgang's pack under the bench again, moving to the third boat, completely ignoring Jenny. Jenny gave a frustrated sigh, immediately following him, "Fine! Be that way... we already have everyone hating Laura, we don't need an argument between you. Just stay out of each other's way."

"Will do." Josh replied quickly, and said nothing else.

"...For crying out loud..." Jenny muttered, marching past him to another backpack.

"Kapp'n?" Goldie shouted, her voice echoing and bouncing off the walls and ceiling. There was a rumble.

"Shhh..." Kabuki said softly, gently stepping past her, "Don't make any high-pitched noises, and keep your voice gentle. Walk carefully." He managed to stop himself saying his usual 'meooo-OH', heading stealthily towards the right passage. Goldie followed fearfully, literally walking on tip-toe, keeping as close to Kabuki as possible. The feline stopped, saying, "Hmm... This passage is blocked... Let's try the other." He slipped past the young dog, heading for the opposite side of the cave. Goldie again followed on tip-toe.

Splash. Rumble.

"Careful..." Kabuki warned, stopping and swivelling on the spot to look at the pool of water Goldie had just stepped in, "Avoid the water." Goldie simply nodded, too afraid to speak anymore in case of causing another rumble. She hurried to Kabuki's side as they entered the cave ahead of them. An eerie, dim glow from the sunlight shone through a crack in the sunlight, allowing the large dinosaur skeleton to become visible. Goldie gasped, and neither of the two animals even noticed the complaining rumble that followed as they approached the skeleton. "What in the..."

"Oh my gosh!" Goldie shouted.

RUMBLE.

"...Shoot!" Kabuki hissed, grabbing Goldie and darting for the exit, but they were too late... BANG! A rock fell from the ceiling, blocking the narrow entrance that led to the skeleton. There were a few more collapses, before silence fell again. Kabuki sighed, kicking the rock fiercely with his foot, before cursing at the pain and falling to a sitting position. "Now look what you did." He glared at Goldie, who stood rigidly still, covered from head to toe in dust. "Now Kapp'n and us two are trapped in here... We need to fi-"

"Uuuuuuuuuuughhhhh..." A haunting groan echoed through the cave, and Kabuki fell silent, scrambling to his feet. Goldie let out a squeak, grabbing the cat's arm tightly, shaking with fear.

"W-What was that?" Kabuki asked with a stutter, trying to force himself to be brave. Footsteps echoed from around them, and the two trapped animals looked around fearfully, Kabuki's paw now clutching Goldie's arm for his own reassurance. "Who's there?" He said fairly loudly, though not loud enough to upset the cave's structure. The two animals backed away towards the blocked exit, pressing themselves against the large rock.

"...M-Maybe it's Kapp'n, woof...?" Goldie suggested, though the trembling of her body and voice didn't reflect any confidence in her idea.

"Of course it is..." Kabuki murmured in reply, eyes narrowing, "What else would it be?" They remained silent for a while, the only noises being the scraping of rocks from where the rescue group were clearing the entrance. "Stay here..." Kabuki said softly, patting Goldie's shoulder before advancing into the cave. His footsteps echoed across the cavern as he approached the large skeleton, looking around curiously, still forcing himself to appear brave. He reached forward to touch one of the bones.

SCREECH!

"AHHHH!" Kabuki screamed, the entire brave act dropping and cowering as a few bats flew from the skeleton. Forcing himself to recover from the shock, he fell to his knees, breathing quickly, regaining his composure. "Bloody..." He gasped, before finally stumbling back to his feet.

"Uuuuuuuuughhhhhhhh..." The groan sounded again, causing Kabuki to now press himself against the skeleton, eyes darting around the cave. He looked to the blocked exit, eyes narrowing a second time, seeing that Goldie had vanished. "G-Goldie?"

Silence.


	34. Fear

ultima-owner - Indeed

texancoconut51 - This one's a bit longer than usual :P Thanks.

Lumoa - Well, after over a month... here it is! Thank you

emma2679 - One hyperactive friend you have there. :P Or was it your sister... I forgot. D: Thank you very much for the review. :D

bomrocks23 - Uhhh... I'm saving your life... a month too late! Better than never, right?

KIRAisJUSTICE13 - Welcome to my fanfic! :D Thank you, that means a lot. Please make your reviews essay length if you want! I love your type of reviews much more than the 'Great update!' type... So please, keep that length :P. I'm glad you like my characters.

animalcrossinglover - Don't worry, series won't end anytime soon... When Christmas comes, I'm going to get more dedicated to this. This is my favourite fanfic, I just can't find time to write lately.

Animal Crossing - Hello, hello. Yes. I'll get to reviewing it ASAP. Thank you very much for the review! I'm glad I inspired you.

BoboPatchia - Thanks =)

Xamem-The Heart of Oblivion - Sorry, got another one for you here. Yes, making clicheness good is a favourite of mine. xD Thanks very much. Chapter 29? *Looks* Ooooh, Not A Dream! That's my favourite too. Yeah, hopefully Mystery will be awesome, and Laura's going to hopefully change your mind... Poor girl got a very bad intro. Thank you for contributing to that amount of reviews! ^^

Fear

"Okay... everything seems fine with you now." Bobby confirmed, drawing back from Laura's bed and observing her with concern, "Though it's probably best if you stay over night... just to be sure." By now, Rosie and Nibbles had left the room, leaving me alone with Laura and Bobby. The dog turned from the bed, locking her medical equipment back in the cabinet that took up most of the far wall. "And when you do leave, I'll supply you with painkillers..." She paused a bit, looking back to the girl, "You ever taken painkillers before?"

"Of course I have..." Laura frowned, gazing into the muscular dog's fierce eyes, still rather afraid of her, "Quite a lot of times, actually... And do I really have to stay overnight? I want to go."

"And where will you go?" Bobby responded with a quizzical frown, "As far as I'm aware, you have no house or Bells. You'll have to speak to Nook, but that will have to wait for tomorrow." Laura seemed startled by this realisation, before she nodded. Bobby continued to say, "Besides. I think some time alone will do you good, and will give the other residents here some time to calm down. Your arrival has created a lot of complications, and... maybe even someo-"

"I know." Laura cut her off quickly, turning her head to face the wall, the guilt obvious in her voice, "I probably killed that turtle thing... I get it, and I'm sorry. I stuffed things up... majorly." Before she or Bobby could say anything else, the door swung open and an angry, old-looking tortoise marched in, glaring around before spotting Laura.

"You!" Tortimer snapped, storming past Bobby and I to prod Laura sharply in the head with his cane. The girl cried out in pain, and Bobby immediately stepped forward to snatch the cane out of the mayor's hands, almost causing the tortoise to fall backwards. The girl whimpered as Tortimer continued, "What have you done to this town? Don't you think I have enough to deal with? Eh? Not going to speak? See... I just got elected mayor for the twentieth year, running... each election is a very stressful time, you know!"

"...Because you're the only candidate." Bobby murmured under her breath, but the mayor didn't seem to hear on top of his rambling.

"-I just managed to save up enough money to buy Nook a new store," Tortimer continued, and Bobby sighed, "When you arrive! And now I need to pay to hire some professionals to come and catch those bugs, I need to replace the stand that was broken in the museum, I need to pay for a professional rescue team... And I really wanted a new office chair! But no! You had to-"

"Tortimer!" Bobby suddenly barked, causing the tortoise to flinch and turn to face her, "Shut up, and stop harassing my patient."

"W-What?" Tortimer gaped, standing frozen for a few seconds, before continuing, "You're defending this criminal? Well, whatever... you have duties, I suppose. But when she's recovered and out of your care, I want her out of my town. Immediately!"

"Mayor Tortimer, that's not-"

"I don't care!" Tortimer snapped in interruption, snatching his cane back from the nurse's hands, "Get her out of my town, and that is an order."

"Wait..." I suddenly spoke, and all three pairs of eyes turned to face me.

"Oh! Louis!" Tortimer suddenly exclaimed brightly, hurrying over to shake my hand vigorously, "Good to see you again. You deserve a medal for your bravery, eh? Hmm... let me think..." The tortoise began to pace, murmuring inaudible words to himself in his thinking. A small frown reached my face, and Bobby simply cursed under her breath and leant back against the cabinet. Laura only watched with confusion. "Eh, whatever... I'll sort it out later. How can I help you, dear boy?"

"...Um..." I hesitated, before saying, "Why not... instead of kicking her out of town, have her do service to the town? She has no idea where she even is, you can't kick her out... she'd get lost straight away. Have her work somewhere, or even... have her replace the bugs in the museum or something. That'll save you money, as well. And also, if you kick her out, you'll have to pay more money so she can at least find a life somewhere else. If you're worried about expenses, this is the best solution." Laura stared at me, wide-eyed, and I could see the gratitude in her expression.

Tortimer turned away from me, gazing out the window, again deep in thought, "Hmm... a wise idea, boy. Yes! That's settled. You are... to assist Chef Topas in the kitchen of the Pierview Restaurant, and you are also to catch as many bugs for the museum as possible. Do you understand, girl?" He turned from the window, now glaring at the girl on the bed. She nodded timidly, and Tortimer gave a firm nod, "Very well. It's settled. Louis, dear boy, will you go and tell Topas of this new arrangement please?"

"...Topas is assisting Josh and the others on the rescue mission, Mayor." Bobby cut in.

"Hm... right, of course." Tortimer gave an appreciative nod to the dog, before looking back to me, "In that case, please tell Miss Soap. I doubt she'll like the arrangement, but just tell her that it's on mayor's orders."

"...Alright." I agreed with a sigh, before pushing myself from the wall and heading for the door. I offered Laura a small smile, before leaving the room. I headed to the south-east of town, passing through several bunches of trees and crossing the river, before the pier came into view. I crossed the sandy beach, before my feet touched wood and I found myself at the entrance to the restaurant. I pushed the door open, looking around at the fancy interior. I hadn't visited the restaurant since my first day, but nothing had changed inside. The sound of a door opening sounded, and the familiar ostrich that was Soap skidded over... on a bar of soap.

"Ah. You. What do you want?" The ostrich chirped sharply, sounding as bored and rude as usual.

"...You're not going to like it, just as a warning." I murmured, before shrugging slightly and explaining the situation.

"What the heck was that?" Josh demanded as he and Jenny hurried over to the pile of rocks. Those at the top of the pile had quickly retreated to the bottom as soon as the rumbling had started. A massive cloud of dust now filled up the gap, causing a few animals to cover their mouths. The rumbling had stopped now, and an eerie silence had filled the inside of the cave.

"Gah, well this just makes things perfect." Topas spat, before turning to Pete and Josh, "Kabuki and Goldie are in there. We have to go in there now. You, Pete, that Mystery kid and me. All in there, now." Josh paled a bit, gazing up at the pile of rocks. Pete immediately gave a nod, flapping his tired wings up to the top of the hill, ready to help the other three up should they need it. Topas stared at Josh a bit longer as the boy continued to stare up at the pile, before saying, "Get a move on. We need ya." The octopus then began to climb the rocks, not quite as swiftly as Pete managed.

"What's this?" Josh didn't even turn as Mystery's voice entered his ears, "Is the magnificent Josh afraid of a dark cave?"

"Mystery! Josh!" Pete called as he helped Topas reach the top of the cave, "Get up here, now! You're wasting time."

"You heard 'em, boss." Mystery said smugly, clapping Josh roughly on the shoulders, causing the boy to turn his paled face to look at him, "Wow, don't look like you've seen a ghost... just a cave." Josh simply sighed, taking one step closer to the looming pile of rocks, "Oho, you _are _afraid! What a classic moment... Josh, the one who's practically in charge of this town, leading this entire search... I was wondering why you stayed so far away from the pile! You're scared of a cav-"

"Uuuuuuuuughhhhhhhh..."

"...What the...?" Mystery broke off his speech to turn to face the cave, eyes widening a bit. Topas and Pete turned uncertainly to stare into the dark mouth that was their entrance. Josh simply stared blankly, retreating the same step he had just advanced. The others on the ground shared a similar reaction.

"AHHHH!"

"J-Josh... what was that?" Jenny asked in a whisper, approaching her best friend. "That... that was a scream..."

"Ah, for heaven's sake!" Topas suddenly snapped, "Forget you two. Come on, Pete!" The octopus lowered himself through the gap, making his way down into the cave. Pete stared uncertainly back at the daylight, before hurriedly following.

"Uuuuuuuuughhhhhhhh..."

And thus... five animals were inside the cavern...


	35. Expiration and Exchange

Surprise! I've got another chapter for you already... and this replaces chapter 29 as my personal favourite so far. =) Hope you enjoy.

texancoconut51 - Thank you! ^^ Unfortunately, stuff about Josh being a mindless zombie will have to wait for another time. :P And yeah, I just felt Tortimer needed to randomly appear, and show more about what Laura's done to the town. Thanks =)

Lumoa - Maybe, maybe not. :P There's a reason behind the fear, though. And yeaaaah, I'm not letting Laura leave so easily, even if this story does seem to have a mind of its own half the time... I'm hoping this chapter makes you readers feel a bit more sorry for Laura, or just hate her more.

Xamem-The Heart of Oblivion - Well.. well... this cliffhanger's not quite as bad! JOKE! Worst. Cliffhanger. So. Far. :P It's not at the end of the chapter, but you'll hopefully agree that this cliffhanger is cruel. =D Thank you. =)

emma2679 - And I updated again. Right, best friend, I'll remember that. Ahahah, did I forget to mention that this is actually a true story? =O The world's protesting against you... you'll understnad what that means when you read this. Ireland? Awesome. I'm English, myself... and we have no snow.

bomrocks23 - Saved your life? Good, good. I'm glad. Here's an extra foothold in staying alive. Let's hope this chapter 'bomrocks' as you put it... too :P

Expiration and Exchange

"Goldie?" Kabuki called loudly, forgetting to be careful of causing another collapse. His paws caused echoes as he dashed across the cavern, searching for any sign of the dog, "Goldie! Where are you, meooo-OH?" His keen eyes darted around every nook and cranny of the cave, but there was no sign of her. "Goldie!" There was another rumble, causing the cat to shiver. He approached the dinosaur skeleton, grabbing one of its smaller bones, yanking it out roughly, holding it up like a weapon. The dust was thick around the cavern, and it was becoming harder for Kabuki to breathe. He closed his eyes briefly, calming himself down, keeping his breathing steady. "C'mon, you... show yourself, meooo-OH. You may have taken Goldie... but not me..."

"Uuuuuuuuughhhhhhhh..."

Kabuki turned in a complete one-eighty to look behind him, eyes widening immediately at the shadow that was visible from the small crack of sunlight. He could make out the dark figure of something, the shadow on the ground distorted, making whatever it was a lot more threatening than it should. Keeping his voice calm, he asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm not the one making the noise, if that's what you mean." A masculine voice replied, one Kabuki had never heard before. It wasn't Goldie, it wasn't Kapp'n... someone else was inside the cave. Kabuki took a step forward, the bone in his hands raising even further, a threatening position. "I'm not your enemy." The voice was almost soothing, friendly... but at the same time, sinister. "Your town has stumbled upon something they shouldn't. Secrets they shouldn't. Leave now, and I will return your friend."

"...Where is she, meooo-OH?" Kabuki questioned, giving no reply to everything else the stranger had said, "Trust me... we're just here to rescue someone, we didn't mean to intrude, meooo-OH."

The stranger laughed. "There's no need for acting here, my friend... You've been here before... I told you to stay away, but you have returned." Before Kabuki could even register what the stranger had said, he continued to say, "The world is changing, excuse the cliché saying. Humans have found us, as you know. But humans don't belong here." The shadow moved, turning to the side, and Kabuki could now see the shadow of a tail on its back. The stranger was an animal. "Four humans are in the town of Honevray... that is more than any other town has. It's upsetting the balance. You are skilled, Kabuki... And I have a task for you."

Kabuki remained silent for a while, his tongue running over his pointed teeth, yellow eyes narrowing as he tried to make out who the animal was. Finally, he asked, "What kinda task, meooo-OH?"

"In fact... call it a deal." The stranger said after hesitating, making a grunt of thought, "In exchange for both your friends... yes, the pirate-like animal is safe with me... as is the dog. If you want to see them both alive again, then do as I say. Otherwise... they will never walk around Honevray again. No, I will not kill them... They will work for me, something many say is worse than death." There was another complete silence, but Kabuki said nothing. The cat was deep in thought. "Anyway... in exchange for your friends... I want you to get rid of that human who everyone looks up to. He runs the real estate, I believe... what was his name? Josh?"

Kabuki let out an angry gasp, stepping back, a hiss escaping his lips. "G-Get rid of him? You mean... kill him?"

"Do whatever it takes." The stranger said calmly and simply, still not moving forward into the small area exposed to the sun, "His time in Honevray is over... his time has expired... his part in the tale complete, however you want to put it. You know more than many what I mean. You know how this world works. Remove the human from this world, and your friends will be returned to you... But should you fail, or tell anyone, then you know how it works. And I'm sure you've seen this happen in many movies, Kabuki, but this time, I am serious. You are smart... you will be doing nothing evil, simply protecting two lives in exchange for one."

"...How much time do I have, meooo-OH?" The cat asked in another hiss, the fear forced away from his voice. No guilt, no remorse... such emotions were a weakness. He knew he had no choice. "And... if that groaning noise was not you, what was it?"

"You have however much time it takes." The stranger replied, shadow disappearing as he walked away, "You will know when the time is right. The human called Josh still has SOME part to play... but after that, you will know what to do. As for the groaning noise, I repeat again... the balance has been upset, and the world doesn't like that. Farewell, Kabuki." Silence fell again as the stranger vanished, somehow escaping the cave... with Goldie and Kapp'n.

There was a bang from behind him, and the cat spun around once more to see Topas, Pete and Mystery standing in the now cleared entrance.

"Kabuki!" Pete exclaimed, rushing forward towards the cat, "Where are Goldie and Kapp'n?"

Kabuki looked back in the direction of where the stranger had vanished, before saying with thick emotion, "...They're gone, meooo-OH."

* * *

"Well... that's finally over." Josh sighed, slumping down into his chair in the real estate office. Jenny came and sat down next to him, looking very pale and covered in dirt like everyone else who had gone to the caves. "Thanks to one stupid human girl... Kapp'n and Goldie are both dead." The girl beside him let out a sigh, leaning her elbow on the desk and putting her forehead into her hand, tears escaping her eyes. Josh turned to look at her, before hugging her, "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said it so bluntly... Kabuki only said they're gone. Please don't be upset."

"N-No... don't apologise." Jenny replied with a croaky voice, wiping her eyes, "You're probably right, anyway... Just... h-how did this happen...?" She began to cry holder, and Josh said nothing, simply comforting her in his arms.

* * *

Laura gave a sigh as she closed the door to the Police Station behind her, walking out into the cold night air. She looked to the left, spotting the cat and squirrel from earlier, who were both glaring at her. "There she is, niblet..." The squirrel attempted a whisper, but it was all too audible to the human's ears, "How can she just walk around so calmly when she killed one of our best friends and Kapp'n? I can't believe Louis persuaded Tortimer to let her stay..."

"Shush, silly..." The cat next said in a quieter voice, pulling the squirrel back from the girl, "We don't want any more drama... just let things go as they happen, silly..."

Laura let out a choked sob, falling to her knees on the cold grass, raising a shaky hand to her forehead, not even trying to prevent the flowing tears from leaving her eyes... And I watched from a distance, a small frown on my face as I leaned against a tree. Nibbles and Rosie simply walked away, leaving the girl to cry alone. I stepped forward, crouching beside her... She looked at me, before falling forward into my arms, fully crying now. And as the moon continued its journey into the dark sky, I watched it... Honevray was truly falling apart.


	36. Christmas Special Static

**IMPORTANT! The next 15 or so updates are going to be a Christmas Special. =) I'm challenging myself to give a part at about 800-1000 words each that gives an insight on every animal villager's past. So I'm sorry, but until Christmas is over, no main storyline. Here's Static's part.**

Mightyenapup - Thank you! ^^ Yes, left you on a lot of questions there. :P

texancoconut51 - Yeah, he's not the nicest. THanks.

Xamem-The Heart of Oblivion - Aww, not Kabuki's fault! D: He doesn't really have much choice... but wait to see what he chooses to do. THank you.

misty-the-fox103 - Glad you think so. That means a lot.

Animal Crossing - Thanks ^^

Lumoa - Indeed! Thank you =)

invader Jade - Ooh, new username. Err... right. Haha. I got snow, finally! Had all this week off from college because of it, but it's all melting now. =) Thank you

**Part 1 - Static**

"Merry Christmas, Static!" The purple squirrel turned around to see a smaller, pink squirrel standing behind him, holding a rather poorly wrapped, but large, present in her tiny hands. The squirrel had a dull, yellow lightning bolt on her head, not quite as bright as the one upon Static's. She wore a dark red dress with white stars dotting it. Static's little sister.

"...Thanks, krrzt." Static replied with a small smile as he accepted the heavy present from his sister's arms. He lowered himself onto one of the sofas, easily pulling the wrapping paper free from a plain, cardboard box. He took a brief moment to look around the large living room. It was very fancy and modern, clearly the home of a family with wealth. After his brief examination of the fancy room, he opened up the flaps of the cardboard box, gently pulling up the model that was inside.

"It's us!" The younger squirrel chirped, hopping up to sit beside her big brother, pointing at the rather badly made model of herself and Static, "There's you, and there's me! Together just as we should be." Static tilted his head as he examined his own face, before blinking with surprise as one of his ears fell off. There was an awkward silence, before the girl said timidly, "I-I tried my hardest..." Static placed the model safely on his lap, before picking up the purple blob that was supposed to be his ear, holding it back up to where it was supposed to go.

"Can you get me the glue please, krrzt?" He asked, and his sister nodded, before hopping back off the sofa and scurrying away out of the living room. There was soon a rushed thumping noise as she ran upstairs. Static gave a sigh, placing the model on the floor gently and getting to his feet. He walked over to the fireplace, lifting up a fancy candle and pulling out a folded envelope from beneath the base, hidden unless one should look there. He lifted up the already opened seal, pulling out the card that was inside. On the front was a picture of an adult squirrel hugging a child squirrel, with the words 'I miss you.' His emotionless face softened slightly as he opened the card with his paw.

_Dear Static and Sara,_

_Just a small card to say we miss you both. xx _

_We'll be back from holiday very soon, and_

_I hope you are both doing fine without us._

_Lots of love,_

_Mum and Dad._

_xxx_

Static sighed, slipping the card back beneath the candle as he heard running footsteps again. His sister, Sara, dashed into the room again, holding a small tube of glue. Static gave her a forced smile, before sitting back on the sofa and beginning to carefully dab a blob of glue onto the purple ear, and sticking it back onto his model self's head. He stared solemnly at the smile on the purple squirrel's face. His arms were wrapped around the little pink one, and they both looked happy. Happiness... it was hard to find sometimes. "When are mummy and daddy coming home, Static?" The older squirrel got to his feet yet again, placing the model on a small table in clear view. He then remained perfectly still, as if admiring the large painting that hung upon the wall. "Static?"

He sighed, and replied emotionlessly, "They'll be home soon, Sara... stop worrying." In truth, his parents were five days late in returning home. But they were never back when they said they would be. Countless times, Static had been forced to stay awake into who knows what hour of the morning, waiting for them to return home when they said they'd be back by seven the previous evening. He wouldn't have been surprised if they had completely forgotten about them. But something was different this time... they had sent a card. The squirrel broke free from his thoughts, turning to face his sister again, "Anyway... I'm going to start making dinner, krrzt."

Sara frowned in confusion, staring up at him with her big eyes, "But what about mummy and daddy...? We always have Christmas with them."

"...Mummy and daddy can't make it, krrzt." Static replied softly, before gesturing to the large mound of presents beneath the huge Christmas tree that occupied one of the room corners, "Go and choose a present to open. A treat for being so good." Sara suddenly smiled brightly, before skipping over to the pile, pink tail bobbing behind her. She began rummaging through the large pile of gifts, before setting on the biggest one and beginning to tear open the wrapping paper. Static smiled gently, before turning and walking out of the room. He stopped, hearing the front door knock. He sighed slightly, wondering if his parents had finally chosen to return home. He slowly headed for the door, lifting a paw and turning the handle...

He gazed up at the uniformed animals in front of him... And that was the last time he had ever seen his sister, Sara.


	37. Christmas Special Purrl

texancoconut51 - Thanks. And don't worry, they're not all going to be _depressing_, as such. They all have backstories, yes... some will be more... humorous than others. *cough*Cube*cough*

Xamem-The Heart of Oblivion - Thanks! =) Glad it at least had emotion. Static's my top favourite animal, too! ^^ I've not really mentioned him much at all in the fanfic, so hopefully, you now have a brief idea of who he actually is. Haha. The true reasons for why he's so cold will be revealed eventually. And lucky you, not had Static in any town since 2007. =l

Lumoa - Oh? Everyone else (on the forum where this is based) assumed that it was Sara who was kidnapped, not Static... Interesting to see someone thinking it was Static! But you'll find out what happened eventually.

emma2679 - Yay for old username. :P I like the name Emma. I like Jade too, of course. Ahahaha, yes, I'm well known for cliffhangers. Unfortunately, that cliffhanger won't be answered for quite a while.

**Part 2 - Purrl**

"We wish you a merry Christmas, and a happy new year!" Purrl stared with distaste at the group of young rabbits, kittens and puppies that were stood outside the door, dressed in ugly, fluffy clothes, hats and scarfs. Each had big smiles on their face as they stared up at the brown and white cat with those huge, young eyes. She blinked with irritance as a gust of wind blew a shower of the falling snowflakes into her eyes, lifting a paw gracefully to wipe them away. It was snowing hard, and she was already shivering just from having the door open. It had been snowing for a long time now, hard, and it had left over a foot of the disgusting white stuff everywhere. It was so bad, that Purrl could no longer see her perfect garden patch in her front garden.

"...You need singing lessons, kitten." Purrl said finally, sounding rather snobby. The small faces in front of her fell, a sight that would make any normal animal feel guilty... but Purrl simply stared with even more disgust at those creepy eyes. There were seven pairs in total. Three belonged to rabbits, all a pink or beige colour due to how young they were. Two belonged to cats, one a light blue and the other a white. The other two puppies, one a yellow, the other a light brown. Typical. Why did young animals always have to have cute colours for their fur? She looked forward to when these children grew up, developing darker, more beautiful colours than the disgusting 'pink'.

"Aw, come on, it's Christmas!" The beige, male rabbit at the front piped up, and Purrl rolled her eyes. "You should come carolling with us, Miss Purrl!"

"Tch." Purrl scoffed, shaking her head, "I am busy, children. I don't have time for stupid childish activities, kitten."

"Actually, I believe you have a lot of time." A posh, deep voice sounded from behind the teenage cat, and Purrl turned on her heels to see a white bear dressed in a black suit approaching them. "In fact, dear girl, I remember telling you that you were off duty for the rest of the night. The night is yours to spend as you wish. Go carolling, have some fun." Purrl opened her mouth angrily to refuse, but the bear tutted, shaking his head, "That was not a suggestion, Miss Purrl. That is an order... have fun. You have worked hard today."

"But Mr. -" Purrl started, her usual graceful voice changing to almost a whine.

"Do not whine, dear girl!" The bear shook his head again, giving the cat a gentle push to the coat room, "Now wrap up and warm and go outside in the snow. You are dismissed from your duties tonight. It is Christmas, after all."

"Tch... Christmas..." Purrl snarled, turning and storming away into the coat room, where she grabbed her dark purple coat, covering her disgusting maid outfit and puling the zip up to her neck. She then grabbed a scarf of the same dark colour, wrapping it around herself, and then putting on gloves. She marched back into the manor hallway, where the bear was talking cheerfully with the children. She then pulled on her boots, casting a look of disgust at the hallway mirror, she looked ridiculous. "Anything else before I leave, _sir_?" She asked snidely, casting the bear a bitter look. The bear turned from the doorway, approaching her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, dear girl." He said gently, staring into her angry eyes, "I would ask you to smile again. Everyone should smile on Christmas."

"Christmas is just a pointless celebration, kitten." Purrl snapped in response, pulling herself away from the bear's grip, "People singing out of tune, wasting money buying novelty items that no-one ever uses, eating lots of food which is really disgusting, kitten, this stupid white stuff on the ground only used-" She was interrupted by a snow ball hitting her square in the face, knocking her off balance and falling to the floor. She coughed and spluttered in an over-exaggeration, wiping the snow viciously from her face. She stumbled back to her feet, glaring at the thrower of the snowball. However, she was surprised to see it was the bear himself. "W-What was that for?" Tears of anger sprung to her eyes as she tried to control herself.

"Stop being a drama queen." The bear tutted, shaking his head as the children outside the door giggled. Purrl simply glared with venom, and the bear continued, "Miss Purrl. I gave you an order, and should you refuse, you will simply be kicked out of the house without a job. Where then will you go, hm?" Purrl didn't reply, bowing her head with her shoulders slumping. The bear gestured to the door again, saying, "The choice is yours." Purrl's head rose again, face now emotionless, before she slowly walked out of the door into the heavy snow, the door closing behind her.

"Deck the halls with boughs of holly!" The carols began again... "Fa la la, la la, la la, la la."


	38. Christmas Special Bones

My word! Lot of reviews!

Animal Crossing - The confusion as to who was kidnapped, or if anyone was kidnapped at all, was deliberate. xD You'll find out what really happened when we start exploring Static's past.

E. Taylor - New reviewer! Yay! Thank you, and feel free to review whenever you want. I love reviews. Anyway... Finally, someone that likes Purrl! I admit I made her dislikeable in my story, but she's actually my top favourite snooty. :P Thank you very much.

Lumoa - Haha... Can't really imagine Purrl in a snowball fight, really.

Xamem-The Heart of Oblivion - As you've probably noticed now, no they're not. :P On week days except Monday (Where I was doing other things) I am at college until 6pm, so I have a lot of stuff to do every evening... Assignments, stuff, and other online... stuff. Yes. Today's a lucky day because I'm not in college. But I'll try to get three more done this weekend. And next Friday, I'm done for Christmas, and then hopefully, every day updates! And I personally think that Purrl would more likely murder one of those children than admit she had fun. ;) Thank you. And again, lucky you. D: And as for the title, it's a direct quote from chapter 1, so I didn't feel it needed caps for it. 'But what if animals did walk?' looks better to me than 'But What If Animals Did Walk'.

Mightyenapup - Ahaha. There's a reason to her Scrooge-ness.

doggiefan - New reviewer? I believe so. Welcome! Haha, thank you.

nonamedperson - Who are you? ;\

emma2679 - Oh! It's you! (Yes, I knew it was you anyway.) Haha. When the fifteen back-stories are done, there's going to be one final special... and we'll see in that if present time Purrl enjoys Christmas. :P And all these backstories are in the past, and I'm sure at the time of these, Kapp'n would be having fun himself at wherever it is that he lives.

bomrocks23 - Yeah, Kabuki's been telling me about his new found stardom, and it's all thanks to me. He's so obnoxious sometimes. :P Thank you very much, it means a lot! But 2011 hasn't even started yet, maybe you'll find something better! :O

**Part 3 - Bones**

"That looks scary..." The young pink and white spotted cow mumbled from beside Bones, who gazed forward with excitement. "D-Do we really have to go in there?" The two were lying on their stomachs in the snow, eyes peering over a small hill at the snow-covered forest ahead of them. The sky above them was completely white, the clouds full of more snow just waiting to fall. For now, the weather had calmed, but the air was freezing and the snow deep and thick... Just how Bones loved it. The cow besides him was Bones' best friend from his childhood, dressed in a thick fluffy coat, scarf, gloves and hat. Bones only wore a red jumper and scarf himself, he hated wearing lots of layers, he'd rather be covered in snow than protected from it.

"Aw, come on Tulip, yip yip!" Bones exclaimed in response, shooting his friend a bright smile as he jumped to his feet, extending his paw for the cow to take. Tulip gazed up at him with doubt in her eyes, before lifting her hoof and allowing Bones to help her to her feet. "It's time for another adventure!" He jumped up on to the hill, pulling Tulip up with him, "Just like the old days, yip yip, of Tulip and Bones! The ultimate mystery solving duo, forever together, and forever the world's greatest detectives!" Bones grinned proudly, paws on hips and puffing out his chest.

Tulip shifted shyly, staring down at the snow, "...I don't know, Bones." She looked back up again towards the forest, "I have to be back in an hour... my grandparents are coming."

Bones gave a sigh, tugging the cow towards the forest entrance, "Then we'll be out by then! It's Christmas day... don't you remember all the mysteries we've solved on this special day? Last year, we solved the mystery of the stolen Christmas hats, before that we took down that lion cub who was throwing snow balls at everyone's windows... And before that, yip yip, we discovered the Tunes den!" The Tunes den was Bones and Tulip's made nickname for a large clearing in a wood that they had used to hang out for the last three years. Bones was rather proud of inventing the name, a mixture of 'Tulip' and 'Bones'. Bones had first met Tulip when he was five, on his first ever holiday. Tulip's town was his family's annual holiday location, and every Christmas holiday since, he had come and spent every day with Tulip. To equal the agreement, Tulip's family visited Bones' town every summer holiday for two weeks.

"I still don't know..." Tulip simply said, giving a small, fond smile at the memories her friend had brought up.

"Then I decide for you, yip yip!" Bones laughed, before grabbing hold of Tulip's arm and running towards the forest. Tulip eventually gave up resisting, laughing as well and pulling herself free from Bones' grip, now following him. They soon slowed down, passing the first trees of the forest. The snow beneath their feet thinned out, becoming more icy and slippery, the tree canopies above them holding the majority of snow that had fallen. They soon came to a slope, and the two animals stopped at the top, "Ooh, a slide!" Bones exclaimed.

"Bones, don-" Tulip's cry was cut off by Bones sitting down and pushing himself down the snow, landing at the bottom in a heap with a thump. "B-Bones?" Tulip called in a panicked call as her friend didn't move for a while, before the dog pushed himself to his feet, seeming perfectly fine.

The dog moved back to the bottom of the slope, "Come on, yip yip! It's fun... and I'm right here at the bottom to catch you!" The cow gazed down at the steep slope, to the unharmed Bones at the bottom, and then behind her to the snowy field and the daylight. "Tulip?" She turned her head back to her best friend, thinking back to her previous experiences with her friend, and how he'd always made sure she was safe. She gave a sigh, before sitting down and pushing herself down the slope after him, screaming before crashing into Bones, knocking him off his feet and causing both of them to land in a heap. "Owww..." Bones mumbled, sitting up dizzily and rubbing his head where he'd hit it. "See? That wasn't too bad." He looked down to his feet, where Tulip was lying, eyes closed. He frowned, quickly crouching beside her, "Um... Tulip...?"

He brushed some snow and dirt of her head, before frowning as he felt something strange. He lifted his paw up to examine it, seeing the fur was now dyed red. He leaned down closer, heart beating frantically as he lifted her head up. "O-Oh... n-no..." He gasped, his quickened breathing expelled from his body in visible clouds from the cold weather. He looked to the tree that loomed above her, and connected what had happened with the horrible wound on her head. "T-Tulip..." He shook her shoulders, but there was still no response. "H... Hang on..." He whispered, getting back to his feet shakily, before running back to the slope, trying to climb back up it. His paws touched nothing but ice, and he fell back down. He tried again, but again he fell. And again. He looked back to Tulip...

And still there was no reply.


	39. The Funeral

First of all, I failed my challenge. I'm sticking to three special parts per holiday... maybe. So to get some more back stories, Easter's coming up.

blindfire - Thank you. xD I never did shoot down Gulliver.

texancoconut51 - Can't say I've ever read it. Thanks :)

doggiefan - LOL! Yeah... a bit more.

Xamem-The Heart of Oblivion - Pfft, this is why skipping is baaad! Yeah, poor Bones indeed. Thanks.

E. Taylor - I know, I'm an evil author who deserves someone to write about my torture. Random and rambling is good.

bomrocks23 - haha. I hope I haven't been beaten yet. Thank you :)

emma2679 - Emmaaaa! My favourite reviewer. Dunno why... you're just cool like that. pfft, it's an AC soap opera, course there are. :) Thank you.

misty-the-fox103 - I'm sorry for torturing everyone! D: But normal characters are dull... but we still have Cube! He's normal... ish.

FlyxCamo - Thank you, thank you! ^^ I hope you got to read all of it. *Sees other reviews* I've been known to prevent people from doing homework and sleeping. ;) ANOTHER VICTIM! MWAHAHAHA! Many thanks. *Eats cookie* Sorry to harm your brain. It's an AC soap opera! I'm known for dramatic plots. xD And here's your update.

thejooky13 - Too bad you won't find out yet. :L But thank you. :)

The Funeral

The town calmed down considerably over the next few weeks, and nothing much of note happened. Goldie and Kapp'n remained missing, Kabuki began to withdraw from everyone and Honevray was beginning to return to normal as it once was. Of course, none of us had forgotten the tragic events, and... The time had finally come to say goodbye to Goldie and Kapp'n, for they had been gone for so long that even if they survived the rock fall, they would have died of starvation or whatever else. The town was in complete silence as I gazed at the ocean. The residents were in two groups near the beach, a gap between them that contained two small, box-shaped graves. I was stood beside Laura, Mitzi and Bob. The human next to me was already crying, full of self blame and self hatred. Over the last while, the town had slowly come to accept Laura. She still had no friends except for me, and certain animals such as Rosie and Nibbles were still bitter, but not to the stage of hurling abuse as they had been shortly after the incident. The two peppy animals were on the opposite side of us, tears and make-up streaming down their faces.

"I... shouldn't be here..." Laura whispered from beside me, and I sighed a bit as I turned to look at her, "This... is my fault. They won't want me here. I should go."

"Being here shows your respect." I replied solemnly, before offering a small smile, "You are part of Honevray now, and I'm sure that they would have wanted you here... Trust me."

"They might, meooo-OH." A voice said from behind us, and we turned to see an irritated looking Kabuki. The cat had completely changed since he was trapped in the cave. He wandered around town late at night, looking and thinking, mumbling to himself anxiously. It was clearly a result of his conversation with the mysterious animal, not that we actually knew that. But besides these strange activities, he'd also become more introverted, ignoring everyone, no longer causing mischief and hiding in his house a lot. Returning to the present, the cat sneered, "Because of you... my friend... OUR friend, Goldie is gone... Do you know how much m... our lives have been screwed up by this, meooo-OH?"

Laura slowly stepped backwards, hiding behind me with fear and guilt. I sighed, staring seriously at the cat, "...Not now, Kabuki. This is to honour their lives, not start arguments."

The cat simply shrugged, "Sure thing. I have things to do, anyway, meooo-OH."

"You're not staying for the memorial, mew?" Mitzi asked, looking at the red and white cat with confusion. But Kabuki simply stared at her, before turning and briskly heading away, tail swishing behind him. Before anything else could happen, slow organ music began to play. I turned back around to see Topas playing typical funeral music. The glow of torches soon pierced the evening air, coming from the town. The crowd fell silent, and some of the residents bowed their heads. A procession of nine soon arrived, led by Tortimer who held the tallest torch. It looked rather strange for someone of his height. Then came Josh and Jenny, each one holding a box in their hands. Behind the two humans came Nook, Blathers, Brewster and Pete, carrying a large stand. Bringing up the rear was Pelly and Phyllis, who each held a smaller torch and a few items in their other wings. The four adults went to place the stand down in front of the graves, back facing the ocean.

Pelly and Phyllis then placed their items on top of it. A photo of both Kapp'n and Goldie, and a set of candles in front of both. Tortimer finally went to stand in front of the stand, gazing around at the crowd, "People of Honevray..." The old tortoise began, "We are gathered here today to mourn, to say goodbye... but most importantly, to remember and honour the memories of both Goldie and Kapp'n." The mayor bowed his head, before moving out of the way. Pelly and Phyllis both moved forward, using their torches to light the candles and then placed the torches in holders on each side of the stand.

"Goldie was... is... my best friend, squeaky." Dora whispered shakily, tears falling from her black, beady eyes, "Her, Rosie... me... we always hung around together. Always. She meant the world to me, she was always supportive..."

"Kapp'n... he was the only friend that meant anything to me..." I gazed at the blue and white cat with recognition. I hadn't seen Rover since I first got on the bus, nor did I ever expect to see him again, "We went everywhere together... he was my best pal. And... and... no-one ever appreciated us, the bus driver and passenger... but we didn't care. Kapp'n didn't deserve this..."

"I remember when I fell over and cut myself, silly..." Rosie spoke softly, head bowed and eyes sad, "Goldie would always be the one there with bandages and plasters, making sure it was completely clean and then bandaged properly... We've had our arguments, silly, but we always stayed best friends."

"I think that in tragic times like these," Josh began, looking at everyone in the crowd, "It is important to stick together. Losing Goldie and Kapp'n... yes, it is a huge loss to our community, but... now is not the time to start arguments or point the blame towards everyone." He looked pointedly to Rosie and Dora, and then to Laura with a small smile, "We must unite as the friendly town we are, and look to the future, rather than dwelling on what could not be helped. However, that doesn't mean that we should forget about Goldie and Kapp'n, no... we will remember them forever, and they will stay in our hearts forever... Repeat after me... Goldie and Kapp'n, rest in peace..." As Josh began to recite a small poem, the audience tearfully repeated and watches as Nook and Brewster lowered the two memorial boxes into the small graves, and then began refilling it with the earth piles beside.

"Rest in peace, Goldie..." Kabuki whispered to himself as he watched from a distance. He sighed in resignation, lowering the knife in his hands as he watched the teenage real estate agent heading towards him, separate from the rest of the crowd. He slipped it back into his pocket. "...I am no killer, meooo-OH." He watched from the shadows as the human walked by, finally whispering, "Forgive me, Goldie." He turned, vanishing into the shadows.


	40. Brewster's Cafe Brawl

Way too long since I updated... but here it is.

Xamem-The Heart of Oblivion - Yeah, sorry. xD They'll continue at Easter! Just not Christmas. I think I replied to your comment... but if not, then read 'Expiration and Exchange' xD

Lumoa - I'm glad at least one reviewer realised that. xD Thanks

texancoconut51 - They have a past, at least.

Newpaper City - Thanks! Good to see you reviewing!

bomrocks23 - Reread 'Expiration and Exchange' :P. Here's your next update, but possibly not any deaths this time. xD Thanks

misty-the-fox103 - Aww, thanks. I didn't think I got the emotion very well, personally, but thanks :P Here's your answer.

thejooky13 - Don't think you've reviewed before, welcome! Thanks.. xD Reread 'Expiration and Exchange', though. ;)

emma2679 - EMMAAAAA! *hugs* You know... I always feel guilty for not updating much simply because I can't read one of your reviews. :P You're my favourite reviewer, after all. D: Aw, thanks, glad to be your favourite too xD Poor Laura. :P And it's Kabuki ;)

FlyxCamo - Wow, lotsa reviews xDD Thanks, here's another update. I do want to become a professional writer, maybe I'll find some way of turning this into a non Animal Crossing story. I'm happy being number 5! That's awesome! And Lol, nice view on all latest chapters. xDD

o-CrystalSakura-o - Yaaay, welcome back! And haha, hope I didn't spoil it too much with the title 'The Funeral'. Thank you. And the mystery with what happened to Static is the point, you have to wonder. Bones was only less than ten, I imagine, so he probably wouldn't know how to, let alone think of it. Thanks :)

Brewster's Cafe Brawl

Plop. Plop. Plop.

I stared irritably at the kitchen sink randomly placed on the other side of my house. No fridge, no oven, no microwave... just a kitchen sink. Next to my TV... which was next to a jack-in-a-box. I can't say anyone would give me prizes for decorating skills, but what else could I do? I needed to start somewhere... and if that somewhere was washing my hands while watching the Simpsons on the TV next to it, then stuff whatever big-shot house rating idiot who criticises. I had managed to expand my house again, and now I had quite a spacious two-room house, the other room being my attic. I was now faced, however, with a daunting task of collecting another few hundred thousand bells to get another floor added. I'd get there... eventually.

I sighed, getting up from my blue chair, heading for the opposite window where the kitchen sink was, gazing outside. "What the?" I exclaimed, stumbling backwards as a purple face sprung up from beneath the window sill, pressed against the glass, pulling a scary face. I stared at it, wide-eyed, before I figured out it was Bob. I rolled my eyes, going forward to open the window. The cat fell in, landing in my sink. There was a moment's silence, before a spraying sound. Bob screeched, leaping off my now broken taps which were shooting out water, and landed on the floor, rolling around as if on fire. "...Dot, dot, dot..." I murmured, staring from the sink to the cat. "Bob. Get up."

"Okay, pthhhpth!" Bob suddenly exclaimed brightly, jumping to his feet, "Bob's comedy entrance of the day!"

"Bob..." I sighed, heading over to the sink and pushing the button on the stand, "You're an idiot." The sink shrunk into a flexible, green leaf, which I pocketed. I then took the leaf back out, squeezing it, and it became a sink again. I moved the newly fixed sink back against the wall as the cat went to steal my blue chair. "What are you doing here, anyhow?"

"Do I need a reason to visit my best friend, pthhhpth?" Bob asked, putting his paws behind his head and leaning back on the chair. His eyes widened, flailing, and I face palmed as the chair gave way, sending my friend sprawling to the floor. "Ooft..."

"Let's go get a coffee, yeah?"

* * *

"So I was talking to Purrl the other day, pthhhpth..." Bob began as I sat down next to him on a stool. I gave him a half-interested glance, a cue for him to continue, and he went on to say, "And she... she..." He suddenly burst into tears, causing the pigeon behind the bar to flinch with surprise. I felt like crying myself, simply out of frustration.

"Oh, what's the baby crying about now, ker-POW?"

As if the day couldn't get any worse... I turned my head to see Tank and Roald standing behind us. Tank was holding a football in his hands, staring at the cat with distaste. Roald was stood at his side, looking fairly uncomfortable in the situation, clearly not as much of a bully as Tank. Brewster backed away from the bar, retreating into the shadows, returning his attention to cleaning the mug in his wings. I gave a deep sigh, spinning myself around on the stool to face the rhino, who met my gaze, "Your worst insult is calling him a baby...? You know, people bullied me back at home, and I thought they were the biggest idiots in the world. But it seems I was wrong... for never once, has someone I've known's best insult been to call me a baby."

The scraping of stools grabbed my attention, and my eyes moved to the left to see Static and Wolfgang climb out of their seats, coming closer to the action. Kabuki slunk over from the opposite corner, eyes narrowed. I climbed up from my stool, and Bob turned around to watch, tears still falling as I advanced on Tank. Luckily, I happened to be the same height as the rhino, so my eyes met his, though his long mouth was uncomfortably close to my face. I could feel his breath on me... smelled of meat, which was rather creepy as rhinos are herbivores... back in normal world, at least. "You may think I'm a mindless idiot, ker-POW... and maybe I am..." A frown began to appear on my face, wondering where Tank was going with this, "But that doesn't matter now, does it? What matters, ker-POW, is that I am stronger than you... and there is nothing any of you twerps can do to stop me."

"Ha!" All heads turned to face Kabuki as he marched forward, "Strength comes in numbers, meooo-OH!" The cat rolled back his t-shirt sleeve, throwing a punch at the Rhino, causing him to stumble back, only to be caught by Roald. I stared at Kabuki with bewilderment, "Not so strong now are ya, meooo-OH?" Kabuki folded his arms as Tank regained his posture, glaring with venom at the cat, who raised his eyebrows briefly with a smirk. "How about it, Louis? I think some teamwork's needed, meooo-OH."

"...The last time you said that, you ended up glued to a clock." I reminded him, causing the cat to snigger, "But... er... sure, I think this'll work. Keep back, Bob." The cat dived over the bar, sending coffee mugs flying. I cringed. "...Not that literally..."

"Enough talk, ker-POW!" Tank snapped, surveying the situation. Tank and Static were standing back. Right now, it was he and Roald against Kabuki and I, "...Tch. Simple... Go!" Tank lunged forward towards me. My eyes widened.

"Move!" Kabuki snapped, and both of us dove out the way, Tank crashing into the bar stools. I rolled over, pushing myself up slightly. Roald charged towards me, and I scrambled back, grabbing one of the bar stools and raising it up. Roald skidded to a halt, before kicking out with his foot, getting me straight in the face. I grunted in back, head smacking back against the bar. I saw stars, but pushed myself up to my feet. Kabuki meanwhile crouched down, staring forward at Tank, before springing himself forward, lashing out with his fists once more. Tank grabbed hold of one, and Kabuki immediately kicked him with his feet. Tank swore, before throwing the cat off of him. Kabuki crashed onto the bar and over the edge, landing in front of the quivering Bob.

"...What do we do, krrzt?" Static asked quietly, watching the fight with interest.

"Time to get out paws dirty, snarrrl..." Wolfgang murmured back. Static grinned.

I let out a cry of pain, as Roald's wing connected with my nose, blood immediately drawn. I fell to the ground, catching myself on the bar.

"...Hmph..." Roald grunted, advancing on me.

"Over her, krrzt." Roald frowned, turning around, only to have a bar stool smash into his face. The penguin's eyes rolled to the back of his head, before he fell over backwards, knocked out. "Well, that was simple." The two dashed over to me, helping me to my feet. I was dazed, wavering on my feet, face covered in bruises and blood.

"...Stay out of battles you can't win, snarrrl." Wolfgang advised emotionlessly, looking me over.

"Graaah!" Tank growled, dodging another of Kabuki's blows, before grabbing an empty mug from a table and smashing it over his opponent's head. The cat fell backwards, still awake but very dazed. Tank spat on him, before turning to face Static, Wolfgang and I. The two animals rose to meet the challenge. Tank bowed his head, before charging, horn pointed right for Wolfgang's throat. My eyes widened at the deadly charge, and I was quickly reminded that bullies back at home didn't have horns. Wolfgang rose his paws, grabbing hold of the horn and pushing with all his strength, soon pushed up against the wall, but the horn attack now deemed useless. Tank growled again, before throwing a punch with his fist, which was quickly dodged. Before he could attack again, Static pounced, landing on the rhino's shoulders and scratching viciously at the top of his head.

"Wolfgang, move, krrzt!" Static exclaimed, and the wolf took advantage of the situation, barging forward into the rhino, knocking him to the ground, his squirrel friend thrown back also, crashing into a chair. The three quickly got back to their feet, and there was a pause as they all looked at each other. My face bruised and beaten, Kabuki dazed on the floor, Roald unconscious and Tank, Static and Wolfgang all bearing minor scratches and bruises.

"...I'm done, ker-POW!" Tank growled, before suddenly grabbing my collar and slammed against the wall, "But don't think everyone here likes you, ker-POW."

"Noted." I replied curtly, and Tank sneered, before slamming me against the wall a second time and storming out, forgetting the fact his companion was unconscious.

"So!" Bob suddenly chirped, standing up from behind the bar, perfectly unharmed, "Who wants coffee?"

"...Anyone got a gun?" Kabuki asked weakly, swaying on his feet, before slumping onto a barstool.


	41. What I Have To Do

Going to be nice and give you a quicker update.

E. Taylor - Haha... thanks.

bomrocks23 - Thank you. ^^

misty-the-fox103 - Aww, thanks, that means a lot.

Lumoa - Thank you. :P And every town has to have a chav/bully, and Tank fits the bill. And don't worry, Louis hasn't forgotten, and still wants to go home. But as you mentioned, a lot is going on, he hasn't had a lot of time to think about things lately.

texancoconut51 - Haha, indeed! Thank you.

emma2679 - Emmaaa... why 2679 by the way? Haha, after so long waiting, I don't blame you for not checking. Haha, as always... thanks!

Xamem-The Heart of Oblivion - Haha... don't worry, there is a backstory to Tank, he's not just a typical bully added for the sake of it. Thank you. :P And yay! Never been added to a quote list before. Thanks!

FlyxCamo - Don't cry on me now, need clear eyes to read. :P Glad to make your day better. I like describing fights, to be honest. When I do many of them, they end up repetitive. I prefer doing small clashes like this to large-scale battles, I find I write smaller more effective. Awesome, thank you.

What I Have To Do

"...Here." I looked over my shoulder, seeing Brewster holding a bag of frozen peas. I offered a weak smile, before taking it and holding it to a particularly large bruise above my left eye. I winced slightly, before closing my eyes and simply relaxing. When I re-opened them, I found Brewster still standing in front of me, this time holding a broom. "Clean it up when you are ready." Without awaiting a response, he shoved the broom into my free hand and walked away. Kabuki sniggered, but the smirk was wiped from his face when Brewster returned with a bucket of soapy water, "For you." He then returned to his bar and continued cleaning mugs. I swore I saw a hint of a smirk on his stern face. Kabuki gave him a rude gesture when his back was turned**. **I simply shook my head, getting to my feet and putting the bag of peas on my seat. Taking the broom in my hands, I began cleaning up the pieces of broken mugs and furniture.

"...Typical, meooo-OH." Kabuki murmured, scrubbing away at a puddle of spilled coffee viciously, "The ones who started it get away with it and we're left cleaning up."

"Well, technically..." I muttered, shooting a wary glance to the irritated cat, "You hit him first."

"Oh, thank you very much, Kabuki!" The cat suddenly piped up, looking up from his cleaning work to shoot me a venomous glare, "Thank you so much for defending Bob and I and kicking that stupid rhino's butt, meooo-OH! It is much appreciated, and you are the coolest cat on this planet."

"What's wrong, Kabuki?" I cut the cat off, staring at him seriously. Kabuki gave me a quizzical stare, and I went on to say, "Something's been bothering you for ages, now. You've not been yourself. Not since... not since you got back from the cave without Goldie and Kapp'n." Kabuki grimaced at the question, looking to the bar where Brewster's back was still turned. He then looked to Static and Wolfgang, who were sat whispering to each other in the corner, out of earshot and not paying attention. He then put the bucket of water back on the floor, pulling himself up onto a chair, staring up at the dim chandelier above us. There was an awkward silence, and I too placed my cleaning equipment down, going to sit next to him. There was still silence, and just as I was about to say 'Never mind', the cat responded:

"...Goldie was my best friend, meooo-OH." He replied softly, voice actually showing emotion, something unusual to find in the cat, "I... I know that she never mentioned me, probably saw me as a jerk like the rest of you... but... she... she cared about me, she actually was nice to me. I know I can be difficult to deal with, meooo-OH, but... I'm still an animal. I still have feelings..." He drifted off, and just as it seemed I was getting through to him, he shuddered, eyes narrowing, "What are you doing, meooo-OH?"

"...Sorry?"

"Making me spill my life out to you..." Kabuki hissed, returning to his feet, "What the heck gives you that right, anyhow, meooo-OH?" I stared at him with confusion, getting to my own feet. I opened my mouth to reply, but he hissed, continuing, "Why do you even care? I'm a jerk, remember? Everyone hates me. I'm the town outcast, meooo-OH." I was at a complete loss on how to reply to this... I didn't even know what he was talking about. "Don't you get it? Not everyone wants Saint Louis helping them with their every problem, meooo-OH... you're almost as bad as Josh and Jenny... the interfering idiots... so patronising and thinking they rule the town, meooo-OH. And you're just becoming like them, interfering with problems that are not your own."

"Kabu-"

"Shut up." Kabuki sneered, his entire image returning to what my first impression of him had been, "Let's not forget... everyone blames that girl, Laura. Everyone has made HER the outcast, meooo-OH, but shall we recap on whose fault this really is? A human girl who thought she was in a dream and scared? No... the human boy who thought it would be fun to go adventuring into a freakingcave and get Kapp'n and Goldie captured!"

"...Captured?"

Kabuki's eyes widened suddenly at his words, and he hissed again, "...Killed... not everyone has given up hope... meooo-OH... Irrelevant. The point is... it's YOUR fault! You... What you and that stupid dog did... it led to... I'll never see her..." And at that, the cat fell to pieces, knees hitting the floor and face burying into his hands. I watched him as he wept, beginning to understand what was really going on. I was shaken, unsure of what to say or how to react... angry at his accusation? Hurt? I'd been blaming myself for the accident since it happened... it's why I felt so sure that I should be helping Laura... she wasn't to blame, the town had picked the wrong target... But then again, I may as well blame Bones for leading me to the cave, for technically, he was more at fault than I was. Or I could blame Kapp'n for shouting and starting the collapse. Or Goldie for going into the cave. Heck, I could even blame Kabuki for asking her to accompany him.

"You loved her." I finally said softly, and the cat stopped his weeping, body trembling, and he hissed again.

"D-Don't try to understand me, meooo-OH..." I sighed in frustration, turning from the cat and walking away, "I tried to get past it, Louis. I tried to move on... you don't understand what happened to me that day in the cave, you don't understand what I'm going to do..." I turned around again to see the cat standing, frowning. But his eyes were not focussed on me, they were focussed on something behind me. I heard footsteps and voices, and I turned around myself to see Josh and Jenny walking into the cafe. "...What I have to do..." I looked back to Kabuki as the two other humans came to a halt, staring around at the mess.

"What happened here?" Josh exclaimed, looking first to me, and then to Kabuki, "Was there a fight?" He approached me seriously, Jenny following. No-one noticed Kabuki slinking off to the left. I blinked a bit, unsure of how to reply. No-one noticed Kabuki approaching the counter, hand outstretched. I remained silent, still shaken from Kabuki's outburst and was in a complete wrong state of mind. No-one noticed the glint of silver rise up off the counter. "...Louis?"

"Josh!" The next few moments happened so fast after Jenny's sudden scream. Josh glanced away from me in time to see Kabuki's paw rise up into the air, and then forward. The glint of silver... a knife... tore through the air. But the direction was off target, it was headed for me... I turned on my heel, eyes widening as the deadly blade headed straight for me. Kabuki's own eyes copied mine in horror as he realised his mistake. I froze. "No!" I heard Jenny scream as my eyes remained focussed on the point... that deadly point... headed for me... The scraping of chairs... Static and Wolfgang darting towards me... Closer, closer, closer... will I die? So close...

Something hit me. I felt pain. Darkness.


	42. Wasn't Meant to Happen

texancoconut51 - Haha, indeed. And Brewster's just epic himself. Thanks.

E. Taylor - Thank you. :) I'm quite happy with how I've made Kabuki.

thejooky13 - By typing words. :P Thanks

FlyxCamo - What can i say? It's an AC soap opera. Thank you very much. Would I really kill off the main character when it's in first person? Find out here. And hahaha, would you bother about a random bus driver you don't know when the person you love is endangered too? Of course, kabuki wants to get Kapp'n back too, but still. :P And to your latest comment, that means a lot. ^^ I'll be sure to check some of them out when you make them.

Lumoa - I can't promise anything. Read and find out. o3o

emma2679 - Here's your answer. O_O Calm yourself, dear. And yeah, others have said that. xD Rover cared!

Xamem-The Heart of Oblivion - Another update after only 11 days... I'm proud of myself. Hear it? You mean Tank's backstory? Of course, of course. But the focus right now is allll around Kabuki. This is his story. Thank you.

blindfire - Pffft, I only kill characters when necessary. And yes, Wolfy is rather awesome. But Static is the most awesome of all. And as for writing a decent fight scene... I'm not quite sure what advice I can give, there. I'm better on small-scale fights. I suggest just making a random situation between two characters, think about their different personalities, whether they're strong... think of the setting, and plan what happens. Try and work on not making it repetitive, and play the fight out in your mind. Then just write it, using the setting, using the characters as they should be used, and it should come together.

bomrocks23 - Aw, come on, Kabuki had no choice. And we'll just see, won't we?

o-CrystalSakura-o - About the actual brawl. Well, to be honest, we've only really met Tank and Roald once and that was at the very start. I know the fight seems random, but there was something behind it, which will be explored later on in the story. For now, just see it as Tank wanting to vent his anger. And... er... yes, he did... did I do something wrong there? xD Thank you, thank you... I was hoping the suspense build up worked.

A/N: In regards to this chapter... it's going to confuse you, I'm sure. I am not looking forward to the reviews. xD

Wasn't Meant to Happen

Waves crashed against the beach, piercing the silent air. A human boy stood on the sand as the sun sank into the sky, staring out to the sea. He was dressed in black, formal attire, and stood alone. He sighed, saying softly, "I... miss you." Three days had passed since the incident in Brewster's Cafe, and so much had happened. The boy closed his eyes, bowing his head, before turning away, heading away from the beach to the area where Kapp'n and Goldie's memorial had been. There was another grave there. The boy fell to his knees beside it, placing his hand on the cold stone, reading the words engraved on it. "Th-This wasn't meant to happen..." Josh whispered, tears escaping his eyes, "I'm... sorry..." His finger traced the letters... they read 'R.I.P Jenny. A friend who will be missed by all.'

_"Josh!" The next few moments happened so fast after Jenny's sudden scream. Josh glanced away from me in time to see Kabuki's paw rise up into the air, and then forward. The glint of silver... a knife... tore through the air. But the direction was off target, it was headed for me... I turned on my heel, eyes widening as the deadly blade headed straight for me. Kabuki's own eyes copied mine in horror as he realised his mistake. I froze. "No!" I heard Jenny scream as my eyes remained focussed on the point... that deadly point... headed for me... The scraping of chairs... Static and Wolfgang darting towards me... Closer, closer, closer... will I die? So close..._

_Something hit me, and I went flying to the left, crashing my head on a table and falling unconscious. The knife continued through the air, hitting the wall with a thump. Kabuki remained frozen by shock as Jenny rushed to help Josh, who had knocked me out of the way, back to his feet. The cat took the opportunity to dart out of the cafe, fleeing from the scene. "A-Are you alright?" Jenny asked as Josh brushed himself down. The boy nodded, before looking down to me. Jenny sighed, "He has a habit for being knocked unconscious..."_

_"Help me lift him." Josh murmured._

I watched the scene from a distance, uncertain on whether to approach. The last few days had been a nightmare, not that I remembered much of the first. Josh had saved me, I ended up back under Bobby's care, and that was the end of that. Kabuki had fled town, no-one had any idea where he had gone.

_"I don't need a guard." Josh snapped, shooing Tank away, "I'll be fine. If you want to be useful, just find Kabuki."_

_"This isn't like him, though, snarrrl..." Wolfgang murmured. A town meeting had been called, alerting everyone to what had happened and to watch out for Kabuki. Tank had been quick to suggest that he should be Josh's personal bodyguard, and fitness trainer at the same time. "Moments before, he was defending Louis and Bob... and then he's throwing a knife at you."_

_"Whether it's like him or not..." Josh retorted, glaring at the wolf, "I want that cat arrested. He tried to kill me, very almost killed someone completely innocent... anything could have happened from that. Jenny could have tried to do what I did, and got hit herself... I may have got hit doing what I did... it may have missed and hit maybe even you or Static, if you'd happened to be behind. I'm not trying to just get revenge here, but I know he's going to try again. And who knows what he may try next? It could put all of us in danger."_

_"All the more reason you need a guard, ker-POW!" Tank insisted, causing the human to roll his eyes, "I have no problem in smashing that stupid cat's face in..."_

_"Not meaning to be rude," I added dryly from the background, "But I don't think there's anyone I'd trust less to protect someone. We don't need someone going into a rampage and getting stabbed because they're not focussing on care."_

_"Oh, because you're the expert of fighting, ker-POW!" Tank snapped back._

_"Enough." Jenny interrupted with a sigh, rubbing her forehead, "I do agree, Josh, that you should have a guard... someone's trying to kill you, and we all know how deceptive Kabuki can be."_

I was dressed in black myself, out of respect for the ceremony that had just happened. I moved forward slowly, eventually drawing level with the human. "You alright?" I didn't get an answer for a while, as Josh remained still, staring down at the grave where his best friend... his sister... lay. It was an eerie thought, really, standing right next to a dead body, beneath the earth. I shuddered. There was still no answer from Josh, so I weakly added, "...If you want to talk about it, I'm here... sorry for disturbing you." I turned to leave.

"Thank you, Louis." The boy finally replied, and I looked over my shoulder, "And not just for that... for the whole event... what you did... it was... thank you." My face softened as I turned back around to face him, not really knowing what to say in reply to that.

_"I'm happy to lead a search party, boss." All eyes turned to the almost forgotten teenager leant against the back wall. Mystery fiddled with a strand of his hair, before meeting Josh's eyes, "After all... if you want to find this kitty, you'll have to seek outside its den. Kabuki wouldn't be foolish enough to stick around Honevray... the rat's fled it's hole." He pushed himself forward, walking towards Josh, "We've had our differences, boss, but if anyone could find him... not meaning to brag, but it'd be me. Form a team of those willing to travel through day and night, and we'll brave the wilderness in search for our prey._

_Josh considered the boy's words, examining him in search for any suspicion, "...On the condition that I come too."_

_"No offense, boss, but..." Mystery continued with a slight smirk, "I don't wanna be responsible for your assassination."_

_"But tell me..." Josh countered, moving forward to confront him, staring into his dark eyes, "How do you intend to find him, without giving him reason to be found? As you said... Kabuki's not a fool, he could easily escape a large group of searchers. But... what if we lay a trap? Lure him out of hiding, using me, and... we have him."_

_"So..." Mystery gave a frown, examining the younger boy, "You're saying you'd be prepared to risk your life to draw him out? And what happens, boss, when he attacks from range? With a... well-aimed rock or something? Although we'd be able to chase him then, it would pretty much defy the point of capturing him seeing as he just succeeded in killing you." _

_"From what I've seen, Kabuki's aim isn't that great." Josh simply replied dryly._

"I... did what you asked me to do..." Kabuki whispered, falling to his knees on the cold, stone floor, "There's one less human... the town's no longer unbalanced..." His keen eyes gazed up at the large dinosaur skeleton, and around the cave, searching for any sign of the mysterious animal. "Please, meooo-OH, return Goldie... and Kapp'n..." He was answered with silence, and the cat allowed himself to fall forward, simply lying on the ground. His body trembled with guilt, wishing he would wake up from his nightmare. The entire town hated him, they wanted him dead... especially Josh... how could this have happened?


	43. Best Friends

14 reviews for last chapter, eep. First of all, I apologise this delay... my life's taken a turn lately, which I won't go into. I'm trying to get past it, but I've not been in a writing mood lately. But I am today, and I'm quite happy with this chapter. But anyway, yes... BWIADW is coming to an end soon! Don't despair yet, the A/N at the end of the chapter will explain why.

Xamem-The Heart of Oblivion - Thanks. And Kabuki's possibly the best character I've ever made... There's more of him to come, we've not even looked at any of his past yet. And haha, I wouldn't kill the central character... yet. And I know Jenny was probably the majority's favourite character, and I hated killing her. But don't worry, there's flashbacks coming of her, so she's still in the story.

E. Taylor - Thank you :)

FlyxCamo - haha, thank you. Yes, plot twists are a personal favourite of mine. Plenty of them to come. It was Louis and Bones that went on the adventure though, not Bob. :P Thank you very much. ^^

o-CrystalSakura-o - She's not Josh's sister. But they were as close as siblings, which is also explained in this chapter. I'm afraid not many blanks are explained here, but this one looks at Josh and Jenny's past. I know it's confusing. :P I'm glad someone's sympathetic for Kabuki. xD He really isn't the villain here.

texancoconut51 - Thank you xD

bomrocks23 - Haven't I said before about Kapp'n and Goldie? xD Reread... can't remember title name now... 'Expiration and Exchange' or something. Reread that. And haha, it is an AC soap opera after all. :P

misty-the-fox103 - Thanks

thejooky13 - Relax, she's still in the story, just in flashbacks and memories and stuff. But what can I say? I love drama. I know she was a reviewer favourite... but as I said, it's not the end of her.

rAwrXdiNo3 - ANOTHER NEW REVIEWER, YAAAY! Hello there, Lizz, welcome to my story! ^^ Glad to have you here, and hope you become a regular. Two days? Wow, that's some dedication... glad you like it though! Thank you, that means a lot. Characters are my speciality, methinks. I'm welcome to character suggestions, so feel free to give me yours. If it's a new human, though, and I choose to have them, it won't be for quite a while. xD Thank you.

- Thanks :)

blindfire - You forgot your favourite character? xDD Won't be much chance for that, he's going to be a key character in the ending of BWIADW, which is the next set of chapters. And haha, it's hoh-neh-vray. Thanks.

coll90 - Thanks. Hope you've managed to read it all. :)

totally random person - haha, I have considered sending this to some anime making people. Maybe when finished. xD I think an AC anime would be awesome.

emma2679 - Emmaaaa. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, she was one of my favourites too. And wait, what? In the last chapter, anything with her in it, the italics, was a flashback. xD

Best Friends

"_Where exactly do you intend to go?" Josh zipped up his bulging school bag as he looked around at the dark-skinned boy that stood behind him. The ten year old boy gave a sorrowful sigh, lifting the heavy bag over his shoulders, slipping his arms through the straps. He didn't answer for a while, looking around what was his living room fondly. His eyes settled last on the fish tank, set in between a piano and a large cabinet. Josh approached it, kneeling down as he watched the five goldfish present continue with their normal lives. He lifted a finger to the glass, resulting in the goldfish crowding around it, mouths opening and closing as they tried to eat it. A sigh came from behind, and his friend approached him. "Stop watching your stupid fish and answer me... you can't just pack up and leave, that never works."_

"_They're not stupid." Josh finally replied simply, returning to his feet and smoothing down his light blue T-shirt again, as he turned to face the dark-skinned boy, "And yes, I can. I have money; I can buy a bus ticket and never return. You can still come with me, Theo." _

_The friend shook his head immediately, looking annoyed. "Your parents will look for you... how do you intend to live? You don't have enough money to last long, you're not old enough for a job... how will you get food? Are you just going to live on the streets? Because honestly, I'd rather stay here... regardless of how sucky it is, at least you have a home." Theo folded his arms as he leaned against the back of the sofa, "As for me coming... no thanks. Sorry if that seems selfish, but I'm happy here. And don't you remember when James tried running away? He came back less than two days later, freaked out and insisting he was being chased by someone. And hungry. That will be you if you leave... it's not as if I won't see you again."_

_Josh remained silent for a while, considering, before shaking his head. "Alright, then, if that's your choice. But I have a plan, don't worry. I know exactly where I can go... and the bus should be arriving very soon." At Theo's puzzled look, he continued to explain, "I've told you about the yellow bus before-"_

"_Oh, for goodness sake..." Theo suddenly snapped, pushing himself forward from the sofa, "I don't know what you think you see, but there is no yellow bus! It wasn't there when you pointed it out to me! Stop... pretending that there's somewhere you can go. There is no yellow bus, and you won't find anyone that will take you in." Josh ignored this, pushing past the boy into the hallway. "You're ten years old, Josh. I don't even understand why you're leaving... what is so bad that you can't live here anymore?"_

_Josh halted in his advance, looking over his shoulder calmly, "It's not necessarily what's bad here... but what's better somewhere else."_

"_How is living on the street better?"_

_The child simply smiled, pulling down the door handle and turning his head away again, "Well... if you're so certain I'll end up there, I'm sure I'll find out soon... see ya, Theo. Thanks for the good times and all that... I doubt I'll see you again."_

"_...Right." Theo replied almost monotonously, "And what do I tell your parents? People at school? You realise I'll be the one blamed for not trying to stop you... and give up with the whole dramatic goodbye, you'll be back... Trust me."_

"_The only person I trust is myself." Josh murmured softly, pulling the door open to be greeted by the morning air, "It's eleven o'clock... the yellow bus arrives in two minutes. So I should go... and so should you." He stepped back from the open door, looking to Theo. The boy stared to the door, and back to Josh, giving him a glare. Choosing to not reply, he marched out of the house, quickly climbing onto his bike and cycling away from the house. Josh watched him go with a sad expression, before closing the door behind him. He walked down his drive, and then turned right and continued. As he approached the bus stop, he smiled. There was the yellow bus... and there was the hissing noise as the doors opened. The boy approached the door, climbing onto it. His eyes met with the driver, and he smiled. His new life was about to begin._

Josh stared emotionlessly out to the sea, still standing in the exact same spot. Seven years ago... to this very day, Josh had left home and climbed onto the yellow bus. The sound of footsteps distracted him from his memories, and he slowly turned his head to see Mystery heading towards him. Josh sighed, immediately looking back to the ocean. "The trial's starting soon, boss." The older boy said, coming to a stop a few feet away from the estate agent, "And I'll be defending Kabuki."

Josh's eyes narrowed, turning to give Mystery a shocked, yet venomous, glare. "You'll... what?"

"I don't think Kabuki was the killer, boss." Mystery simply shrugged his shoulders, meeting the glare seriously, not backing away, "And one thing I hate the most... is an innocent being punished. I'll find the truth, don't you worry."

"I guess this makes you Phoenix Wright, then..." Josh sarcastically commented, folding his arms. He fully turned his body to face Mystery, who smirked at the comment, "I guess, in that case... I'll be Edgeworth. I will see Kabuki pay for his crimes. And either way... he will be punished. If not for killing Jenny, then for attempted murder of me. I know he is guilty of both, and I will make sure he pays." He advanced on Mystery until they were at eye level, Josh's fists clenching up, "And... if you think you can stop him from facing up for what he's done... I will not let you or him get away with it. I will make sure it will be the last thing either of you do." Mystery blinked, but Josh remained glaring. "Remember that." Shoving his way past the boy, he marched away from the beach. Mystery simply shook his head, shooting a last glance at the grave, before heading away in the opposite direction of Josh.

"_Welcome to Honevray!" Josh looked up from his watch to the smiling pelican at the desk. He returned a slight smile, feeling rather shy. Before he could even reply, the clerk continued, "We've been expecting you, Josh... it's so nice to finally meet you! Follow me... I'll show you to your house. I'm sorry, it's a bit small, but it's all that Tom Nook could do at short notice." Josh gave a hurried nod, before following the pelican out of the door._

* * *

"_Are you serious?" Josh exclaimed, eyes widening with excitement. The raccoon in front of him smiled, giving a nod. "N-No way... another human...?" _

"_Yes, yes." Nook replied, gesturing for the boy to follow him, "Come, come... I will introduce you to her. She's been asking over you too." Josh quickly closed the door to his growing house, jogging after the shop worker as they journeyed through the town. "She seems to be fitting in well... she's a couple of years younger than you, only a child. Hard to believe it's been six months since you arrived, hm? Anyway... here is her house." The two stopped outside a tiny house with a yellow roof. Outside was a girl of no older than eight, watering flowers outside the door. She had short, light brown hair which curled out at the bottom. She was dressed in a white sleeveless top and normal jeans, a fairly tom-boyish look. The girl looked up as she heard footsteps, spotting Josh, smiling._

_Josh looked around, noticing Nook had vanished, before nervously approaching the girl. "Erm... h-hello..." Josh stuttered as he stopped a foot away from the girl, who beamed at him. Nook had been right about her age, her face was still very young, almost babyish. Josh was still ten himself, almost eleven, but still... it was another human. A friend? The girl giggled slightly at his stuttering, causing Josh to feel even more nervous. She put the watering can back on the ground._

"_Hey!" She exclaimed, giving the boy a quick hug. Josh blinked, taken back by the friendly gesture, before nervously hugging her back. He closed his eyes slightly. As strange as it sounded, it felt... nice to feel human skin again. Having lived with animals for six months, the smooth skin of a human was a nice change from the fur of animals. "I'm glad there's another human here... maybe I won't be so lonely after all... I'm Jenny."_

_Josh pulled away gently from the hug, smiling slightly, "Jenny... That's my sister's name, too. I'm... I'm Josh."_

* * *

_The boat came to a stop, and a thirteen-year old Josh stepped out of the boat, feet landing on cold ground. He looked around the dark cave with a fearful frown, before turning to the girl behind him. He offered his hand, and Jenny took it, climbing out of the boat herself. She had grown a lot over the last few years, now eleven. Her hair was now neck-length, a slightly darker shade of brown, and of course, as she was getting older, her body was beginning to develop. Josh took her hand, noticing the girl shiver. The two had become best friends, and he now called her his sister. Not only as a memory of his real sister back at home, but because they were as close as siblings. They had both relied on each other over their first few years, both new to the world, both alone. And now, in this strange world, Josh finally had a best friend. "Well... here we are..." Josh commented quietly, stepping forward into the cave, "This is where the letter said to go..."_

"_It... could have picked a happier spot." Jenny commented, brown eyes looking around the structure of the caves._

"_And so you are finally here..." Both children looked to their right in fear as a voice spoke. The figure of an animal approached them, face cast in shadow, "The humans are finally here. It is time I tell you the secret... for both your arrivals will change this world forever."_

"Commencing the trial of Kabuki." A mallet was slammed on the table at the very back of the museum, held by the pelican, Pete. The museum hall was the most suitable place to hold a court trial, and had been built up to look like one as much as possible. Pete was stood at the front table, representing the judge. Kabuki was sat in a chair at his own table in front of Pete, alone and handcuffed. Mystery had his table to Pete's right, or on the left of the museum, and Josh was stood, arms folded on Pete's left. The rest of the animals were sat in chairs, watching the proceedings. Copper and Booker guarded the doors to the museum. "Is the defence and prosecution rea-"

"Excuse me," Mystery interrupted with a sigh, "Or should I say... excuse me, _Your Honor, _but are we really going to do this the cliché way? Or can we just get on with it?"

"Honevray may be a small town," Pete replied seriously, "But we shall do things the proper way. I've told you this already. This is a murder trial, so no, we won't take it light-heartedly."

"...As you wish, Your Honor." Mystery resigned, clearly irritated by the way things were going, "In that case, the defence is ready."

"Prosecution is ready." Josh added quietly, staring straight at Kabuki, who avoided meeting it, simply staring ahead. "And I will call Honevray's head police officer, who was also present at the crime, to describe what happened from the very start." As Bobby took the stand half way between Pete and Josh's tables, the audience fell into silence, ready to hear the story from the start.

* * *

A/N: Yes, I will be including a section based on one of my favourite games... Phoenix Wright. And yes, I'm going to go all cliche with the 'Objection!' type things. Twill be fun! But anyway, this chapter introduces the first history flashback, which will be fairly regular. Yes, I got the idea from Lost, and it basically will show the characters' various histories, how they arrived in town and other various stuff. Anyway, we're coming to the closing of Book 1, and the end of 'But what if animals did walk?'. I'll then be moving onto book 2. It's all the same story, but I'm splitting it to books because otherwise, it'll get too long. 


	44. Trial Part One

This chapter... writing quality wise, sucks to be honest... I mean, there's hardly any description. I suppose that comes with making it an interactive chapter. Anyway... people on ACC are apparently clever, for they sailed through part one with hardly any trouble.

Lumoa - Yes, yes he did. And hey, Kabuki's not been declared guilty yet. :P

E. Taylor - Who are you on ACC? Thank you.

FlyxCamo - Thanks :P I quite like Mystery, too. Especially writing about his rivalry with Josh.

emma2679 - *Hugs* ...Yes, she's a ghost... sure. And hey, I'm secretly hoping Kabuki comes out not guilty... I'm looking forward to finding out. Er.. I mean... I already know if he is or not.

thejooky13 - Sorry I confused you. But thanks :)

bomrocks23 - Er... thanks?

The Trial – Part One

"Witness..." Josh began, looking to the strongly built police dog standing professionally at the stand, "You are Officer Bobby, correct?"

"That is right." Bobby replied with a sharp nod.

"And you were present at the scene of crime, and were in charge of the investigations?"

"I was."

Josh locked eyes with Mystery, a ghost of a smile on his face, before he looked back to Bobby. He folded his arms once more, bowing his head, before finally saying: "Witness... before we start, how did Kabuki get here? I was told but an hour ago he was missing. After that, please go on to explain what exactly happened, in full detail."

"The suspect was found, thanks to information from Bones, in the cave where we lost Kapp'n and Goldie." Bobby explained, shooting a glance to Kabuki, "We found him talking to himself... and arrested him on the spot." Josh gave a nod. "As for what happened... We split up into three groups, searching the forest for Kabuki after his attempted murder on you. I led one group, Mystery led the second, and Pete led the third. Eight were in each group."

"Please tell the court who was in each group."

Bobby gave a nod, hesitating as she thought, "My group... Was myself, Blathers, Bob, Roald, Dora, Celeste, Laura and Wolfgang. Mystery's group was him, you, Jenny, Static, Nook, Mitzi, Rosie and Bones. And finally, Pete's group was him, Louis, Topas, Cube, Tank, Nibbles, Pelly and Copper." Josh gave another nod, gesturing for her to continue. "After hours of searching the forest, it was eventually Mystery's group that chanced upon a hidden trapdoor. I'm sure Mystery can give a better explanation later... The other two groups were contacted, and we headed to the location. We could hear Kabuki talking inside... who to, we have no idea. We entered..."

"So all twenty-four of us were present, correct?" Josh questioned.

"Yes." Bobby gave a sharp nod, answering professionally despite Josh already knowing the answer, "We found Kabuki there, who had somehow got hold of a gun... I demanded he lowered it, using my own. Mystery, who as you know, is now working under me, announced his gun missing. Before anything else happened, the lights in the underground room suddenly went off. There was a gunshot and a scream of pain. When the lights were switched back on, the victim was on the ground with a bullet to her heart, already dead before we could do anything." Josh flinched as this was recalled, eyes closing as he took a few deep breaths. "The suspect had fled the scene."

"So the overview of the crime has been given..." Pete announced, addressing everyone in the room, "The witness may leave the stand... Who will the prosecution call up next?"

"The prosecution will call-" Before Josh, could continue, Mystery coughed, and all eyes turned to him. Josh glared irritably.

"If you don't mind, Your Honor..." The boy said calmly, placing both his hands on the desk in front of him, "I would like the defence to be able to call witnesses too. Any objections, Josh?" Josh's lips thinned, before giving a slight shake of his head.

"...Very well." Pete nodded.

"Then the defence will call... Bones to the stand." Mystery decided, and all eyes then turned to the confused dog. After some hesitating, the white and brown dog went up to the witness stand, where Bobby had previously been. He looked around nervously, from the emotionless Josh to the rather friendly-looking Mystery. "Witness, please state your name."

"Um... Bones, woof." The dog mumbled, scratching his head awkwardly.

"You were present at the scene of crime, correct?" Mystery questioned, and Bones gave a timid nod. "Very well... Witness, Bobby previously mentioned that you were the one that gave her information on Kabuki's whereabouts. Well done on assisting in getting the defendant arrested, but... I must ask, to know where he was... it suggests that you have received information, perhaps from the defendant... or maybe even someone trying to frame Kabuki, who knew where he went. Please explain to the court how you knew Kabuki was in the cave."

Bones considered the question, before beginning to explain, "Um... well, woof, I didn't... know as such. I mean... It's common knowledge that Kabuki has feelings for Goldie, woof... he didn't know where to run, so I thought that maybe he went to the cave where Goldie died... to be close to her."

"Right..." Josh replied, giving a nod, "Thank you, witness... But I find something curious... The prosecution would like to call Mystery to the-"

"Objection!" Mystery suddenly shouted, the sudden shout causing Josh to jump slightly. The boy looked to Mystery with confusion, "Your Honor, the defence would like to remind the prosecution that we should have the chance to question the witness of everything necessary." Josh's eyes simply narrowed, and Mystery shrugged with an amused smile, "What? I'm not saying this just to stop myself going to the stand... we only just got Bones up here, let's learn all there is to learn, shall we?"

"...Objection sustained." Pete nodded, and Josh rolled his eyes. "Bones will remain on the stand."

"Witness..." Mystery began calmly, eyes fixed on the nervous dog, "How do you _know_ she's dead? That has never been confirmed."

Bones frowned, "Um... we... we had a funeral, woof, didn't we? Aren't... funerals usually for dead animals...?"

"Onto more relevant questions..." Josh murmured, before asking, "Bones... you were in the group with Mystery and I when we found the hidden underground door. So you were there when we heard Kabuki talking... perhaps you should tell us what it was that Kabuki said."

Bones felt uncomfortable, bowing his head slightly, "Um..." He trailed off. "Well, woof... he... he said..." He cleared his throat, before continuing, "He said 'I couldn't kill him... I tried, I missed... please, I don't want to do this.' Or... something similar." Josh looked to Kabuki with an expression of triumph. The cat simply continued to stare ahead, no emotion in his eyes. But eventually, he slowly turned his head to the right, meeting Josh's eyes. They showed... remorse? Josh's face softened slightly, before he returned his attention to the scene.

"So..." Josh frowned slightly, "You and Cube found this cave, with a discovery that would greatly affect scientific discovery, and help Blathers... you intended to keep this secret? Why? What were you going to do with it?"

"I-I don't know, woof." Bones sighed, feeling guilty, "What am I good for in this town? Like... I'm the loser nerd that everyone laughs at, woof. But with this discovery... we'd found something worthwhile, that no-one else knew about. It was... special, woof."

"Right." Mystery cut in, slamming his hands on the desk, "We're done with you, I think. I'd like to call Tom Nook up to the-"

"Objection!" Josh cut in, and there was a clatter as Pete accidentally dropped his mallet, the tool falling to the floor. After a brief awkward moment, the pelican quickly crouched down to pick it up, mumbling an apology. Tom Nook was half-standing, looking extremely confused. Mystery's eyes closed, before re-opening and looking to the younger boy as he continued to ask, "What the heck does he have to do with all this? I would call someone who is more important to the actual case..." Mystery gave a half-hearted shrug.

"If the defence insists on calling Tom Nook to the stand, then I must deny your objection." Pete explained.

"No matter..." Mystery replied with a fake smile, "Let's see who the prosecution calls up."

"The prosecution calls Laura to the stand." Josh announced, folding his arms. He looked seriously to the dark-haired girl, who suddenly looked frightened. Bones looked to Pete, nodding at the gesture to leave, and returned to his seat. Keeping her head bowed, Laura nervously stood at the small table, not making eye contact with anyone. Josh stared to the girl, feeling rather numb as he watched her. Here she was, the girl who had led to the deaths of Kapp'n and Goldie. Josh's theory was that the reason that Kabuki had tried to kill him... killed Jenny... was some way of getting revenge on humans for the death of who he loved. "Witness, please state your name." Josh began, rearranging the paperwork on his desk, not looking to Laura.

"L-Laura..."

"And you were present at the scene of the crime?" He asked, and Mystery sighed with boredom.

"Yes..."

"Very well." The estate agent hesitated, before asking, "Where were you, and what were were you doing at the time of the murder?"

Laura hesitated, "Well... obviously, I was in that underground room with everyone else... I-I don't really know what happened... I was stood somewhere at the back, with Louis... Kabuki was there in front of us, Mystery had confronted Kabuki... The area suddenly went dark, there was a gunshot, and Jenny was there... dead... Josh and Pete crouched over her." Josh closed his eyes again.

"Can I just ask something?" Mystery interrupted, looking to Laura, "You are the one responsible for Goldie and Kapp'n's deaths... why did you get on that boat?"

"Objection!" Josh shouted, and Mystery's eyes narrowed as he glared at the boy. Josh met the glare, stating loudly, "That is irrelevant to this case! As you can probably tell, you are upsetting the witness and we won't be able to get any clear answers from her. I demand the defence withdraws their question."

"Objection sustained." Pete slammed the mallet on the table, and Mystery rolled his eyes with a shake of his head. "You, replay the witness' last answer." He gestured to Blathers, who stood with a voice recorder, hidden behind a desk. The owl fumbled with the machine a bit, before eventually Laura's words were sounded again. 'Well... obviously, I was in that underground room with everyone else... I-I don't really know what happened... I was stood somewhere at the back, with Louis... Kabuki was there in front of us, Mystery had confronted Kabuki... The area suddenly went dark, there was a gunshot, and Jenny was there... dead... Josh and Pete crouched over her.' Pete gave a nod, "Back to the trial."

"Hold it!" Josh broke in, frowning, "You said that 'Mystery had confronted' Kabuki... what do you mean by that?"

Laura frowned, "I-I mean... Mystery stepped forward, confronted him... Kabuki had a gun... so Mystery tried to make him lower it."

"Right..." Josh smirked slightly, hands on desk as he leaned forward to look at her, "We've established that Kabuki had a gun... Why did he have one? Do you know?" The frown on his face lifted, clearly satisfied with the evidence that Kabuki was seen holding a gun. "Regardless, I think this pretty much sums the case up... the defendant had a gun, he was majorly outnumbered... no idea how the lights went out, but he probably panicked when they did and fired. With the lights still out, he took the chance to run. I think that's pretty much all there is to this. Anyway, do you know why he had one?"

"No..." Laura shook her head, barely meeting Josh's determined gaze, "I don't know... Maybe he stole it from one of the guards."

"One of the guards?" Josh questioned, thinking. "Hm... This calls for a change of witness. The prosecution calls Booker to the stand."

"Now hold on a second..." Mystery snapped, "That guard won't know anything. Not even he's stupid enough to hand a gun over-"

"But he is clever enough to know if it's missing!" Josh retorted, cutting Mystery off, "Booker will take the stand." Laura returned to her seat, again head bowed. Booker, tripping over a chair on his way, approached the stand, nervously waiting behind it. "Witness, state your name and profession." Josh folded his arms, examining the rather overweight dog. His hat was too small and the wrong way round, half his collar was tucked inside and he... hardly looked professional enough to be a guard. A fly buzzed around his fur, giving the impression he hadn't showered in a while.

"Booker... um... Guard of the gate... I think..." Mystery gave a deliberately loud sigh, leaning on his elbow, clearly thinking this was going to take a while.

"Now tell me, witness..." Josh continued, the smirk still on his face, clearly thinking this would be evidence, "Has a gun gone missing recently?"

"Um..." Booker shifted awkwardly, looking away from Josh.

"Witness!" Josh snapped, causing the guard to flinch, "You will answer the-"

"For crying out loud!" Mystery suddenly shouted, slamming his hand on the desk, "Just flipping ask him nicely and he may tell you!" Josh's eyes flashed angrily, and Mystery shook his head, tutting, "Tch. Let me ask nicely... Witness, have any of your guns gone missing lately?"

"Um..." Booker said again, shivering, "Y-Yes... um... I think..."

"Did you find or see anything strange after the gun went missing?" Josh questioned, trying to keep his voice calm as he attempted to meet Booker's gaze. Mystery bowed his head in frustration, arms stretched in front of him with his hands resting on the desk. The audience was completely silent, all eyes on Booker as they awaited an answer. "And try and answer properly this time." There was half a minute silence as Booker considered the question. However, just as Josh was about to insist on the dog answering, he finally spoke.

"Um..." Booker shifted slightly, "Yes... I did... I think... maybe not... I don't know..." Josh raised his eyebrows.

"Answer the question properly." Josh demanded.

"The witness clearly doesn't know!" Mystery snapped in interruption, "There is no proof that Kabuki stole the gun, so therefore we should just cease this pointless line of questioning."

"The prosecution _will_ continue the line of questioning, thanks." Josh announced, and Mystery gave an exasperated sigh. "When did you notice the gun was missing? What were you doing before you noticed?"

Booker gave a nervous shudder, "Well... um... I was... I was... er... standing guard... like usual... I think... It was a quiet day, as always, and... well... I went for my lunch break, and put my gun down... when I finished eating, it was gone." This was met by silence from the audience.

Mystery's forehead was in his left hand, clearly frustrated by the situation, "And so what have we learned? This guard is a dimwitted fool who can't do his job properly... however, I again point out that there is no evidence linking Kabuki to stealing it!" Josh's eyes narrowed.

"Are you serious?" The real estate agent exclaimed, eyes meeting Mystery's once more, "Kabuki had a gun. Booker's gun went missing... If not for Kabuki stealing it, how do you suppose it ended up in his hands?" Mystery shook his head, deciding not to answer the question. "My point exactly." Josh finalised, shaking his own head. He turned back to Booker, who was picking at some spilled sauce on his uniform, "Are there any other guns in Honevray?" He looked back to Mystery, "For if not... the case is over."

"There are four..." Booker murmured.

"Who has the other three?"

"Um... Copper, Bobby and..." He trailed off.

"And?" Josh persisted, eyes narrowing.

"And... Mystery..." Booker finished, shooting a scared glance to the teenager of mention. All other eyes followed his.

"Okay, look..." Mystery sighed, still rubbing his temples, fingers drumming on the desk, "This is getting us nowhere... can somebody tell us the ballistic markings of the bullet?"

"The... what...?" Booker asked with a frown.

"You... a guard..." Josh's eyes widened with disbelief, "You don't know what... er... they are?"

"...Do you?" Mystery questioned, looking at him with bemusement. Josh said nothing. "Anyway, the ballistic markings will basically allow us to identify what gun it came from. If the markings match those of the gun used, then we know it was that gun that fired it." There were confused murmurings from the crowd. "If we can match the bullet's markings to the gun that Booker is missing... clearly the one that Kabuki used, then... I guess I will be forced to surrender. However... if it turns out there was more than one gun at the scene, then... we can find out who the real killer is."

"Um... you see..." Booker mumbled, and all eyes returned from him. "Erm... the... the bullet that killed the girl... it... it was stolen..."

"Hold it!" Mystery snapped before anyone else could, "Wha... Stolen? Who the heck would..."

"Who else?" Josh demanded, looking to Kabuki, "Where is the bullet?"

"The bullet was in the victim when we found her dead, and was in our evidence!" Mystery snapped back, looking at Josh, "The defendant was arrested only a few hours afterwards, there is no way he could have stolen it!"

"Then tell me..." Josh broke off, a frown reaching his face, "Who stole it?"

"The bullet was in an evidence bag..." Booker mumbled, and the two looked to him, "We came back to find only the bag there... meaning... it can't have been misplaced, I think... it was taken from the actual bag."

"This is just getting pointless." Josh gave an exasperated sigh, "Can we just clarify something here? Bobby said at the start that the gun was stolen from Mystery..." Booker frowned, looking genuinely confused, "So what on earth has this missing gun got to do with anything? And why did Laura suggest it was stolen from a guard...?"

"Well, boss..." Mystery replied, folding his arms, "I certainly don't recall my gun ever being stolen. Something fishy is going on here, and in my opinion, it's not the dim-witted guard or the stuttery girl who's been lying..."

"The defence has a point." Pete said with a sigh, "I may be only the judge... but this doesn't add up."

"Indeed!" Mystery exclaimed, "And at this very early stage, we've got a liar on our hands... worth following up, I think." He smirked, and Josh looked at him warily. It was clear that by following this lead, Mystery intended to pin the blame on someone else. "The defence calls Bobby to the stand."

"I'm afraid that's not possible, sir!" All eyes turned to the crowd, where Copper was on his feet.

"What is the meaning of this?" Pete questioned with a frown, looking to the guard.

"Captain Bobby has left, sir!"

"Well... what are you waiting for?" Pete shouted in confusion, "Go and find her!"

"No can do, sir!" Copper replied, saluting professionally.

"...Why the blazes not?"

"She told me not to, sir!" Another salute. Josh sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"...Well, well, well..." Mystery chuckled, "Looks like we may have found the true culprit already. Bobby had a gun... the bullet is missing from the evidence room... she lied, and now she has gone. My, my, this has to be the shortest crime I've ever solved!" He looked to Pete, "Your Honor, I suggest calling a recess until we get the true culprit of the crime back in the building."

"Indeed." Pete nodded, "In the meantime... I suggest a search is held for that missing bullet. If we can link the markings of the bullet to that of Bobby's gun... then the evidence is clear. Without it, we do not have any decisive evidence. The defence will form a search party, sealing the gate and ensuring she does not leave by boat, and finding her. I will leave the finding of the bullet to the prosecution, for if the bullet in the victim matches Booker's gun... then you will succeed in getting the defendant arrested." Both Josh and Mystery nodded. "But for now, the court is in recess. Reconvene in three hours." He slammed the mallet on the desk.


	45. Of Trapdoors, Caves and Explorations

E. Taylor – I recognise the name... don't think I've ever spoken to you though! Thank you.

misty-the-fox103 – That's good. And.. thank you. xD Been a bit difficult lately, and tbh, I'm doing this right now instead of a report due in two days... I've already had two panic attacks over it, but... ah well, I guess. Anyway. Thank you.

FlyxCamo - ...Haven't I already explained that in A/Ns as well as the story? O_O In the flashback, it showed the knife missing and hitting the wall. Chapter 43 or whichever was the one after Kabuki through the knife was MEANT to be confusing. But in the chapter 'Best Friends' and 'The Trial – Part One' it states that Jenny was killed while looking for Kabuki, most likely BY Kabuki. xD The knife killed no-one. Louis is fine. Thank you.

texancoconut51 – Jenny isn't Josh's biological sister. They're as close as siblings, and call themself brother/sister because Josh's real sister was called Jenny.

VVV I RECOMMEND EVERYONE READS THIS! VVV

Xamem-The Heart of Oblivion – I'll be fine. Writing is a way to help me get away from it all, so it's not as if I'll be stopping this. Thank you. Haha, sorry, not really any other tidy way to write flashbacks. The next book... well, let's call it a series. It's not going to just suddenly continue as if it's the same story, BWIADW will be ending when the whole Jenny murder case is cleared. The sequel will then start, focussing on new plots, new characters, as well as developing on characters like Portia, who we began with the whole Laura ruining the dinosaur exhibit. But in the sequel, I'm planning to return the central to Louis as it should be (in third person this time!), and look at Laura, Bob and Static... at least at the start. Thank you.

bomrocks23 – Yes, yes I am. :P Thank you. Louis... eh, I really should have put this in third person. He's still around, just not focussed on at the moment.

rAwrXdiNo3 – If you don't look at this on ACC, you get the whole chapter at once, which isn't exactly a bad thing. :P Thank you. ^^ Yup, PW (and sequels) are all epic. But Edgeworth is my favourite character. I can't remember who Godot is though. Thank you.

o-CrystalSakura-o – Hello, hello. Well, I think it's rather clear now _how _Jenny died. xD Shot in the chest with a bullet. Thank you. You can still participate on ACC, yes. If you get there as soon as you read this chapter, you should be able to participate in the next part of the actual courtroom trial. Thankies.

Of Trapdoors, Caves and Explorations

"Careful, now..." Mystery murmured as he drew his gun, stopping outside the gate. "We've no idea what she's capable of..." He closed his eyes briefly, "I go in first." He pushed himself from the wall, rounding the corner into the gate, shouting, "Freeze!" There was a moment's silence, before he sighed, "She's not here."

"Now what, ker-POW?" Tank questioned, looking around the empty gate room. Mystery hesitated.

"Tank and Wolfgang, guard the gate." Mystery instructed suddenly, breaking the silence. He tossed Wolfgang a walkie talkie, "Contact me if she shows up. Be careful, very careful." Wolfgang cast Tank, who was smirking, a wary look. He clearly wasn't thrilled about spending time with the rhino after their last encounter. "Rest of you, with me. We head to the cave. Cube, you know it more than us... Static, Portia, Laura, you stay at the beach in case she comes. Lead the way, Cube!"

Twenty minutes later, the group of four (Mystery, Cube, Nibbles and Bob) stepped off the boat, looking around the cave warily. Besides the main cave, where the river came to an end, it diverted into two passages. The first passage went left, leading to where Bones and Cube had found the skeleton. The other was to the right, a large pile of rocks that looked as if they'd been cleared by the entrance.

"Well, someone's been busy." Mystery commented as the group approached the re-opened tunnel, "Cu- wait, no... Nibbles, hold the torch, please." Mystery passed the lit torch over to the squirrel, who pointed it into the tunnel ahead of them. Mystery drew his gun, "We have a murderer to catch." The group entered the tunnel, Mystery leading, with Nibbles, then Bob and Cube. Eventually, they came to the large chasm, with no way down and only a very narrow pathway on the far right. It looked dangerous. He led the group over to the narrow pathway, leaning forward slightly to peer over the edge. He nudged a stone off, waiting several seconds, before a very faint 'clunk'. "...What is this place? We're not even high above sea level... how is this so deep?" He hesitated, before clicking his fingers, "Bob... you go first. And for goodness sake, be careful... very careful."

"Aye, aye, captain!" Bob saluted, before skipping onto the path, flailing and falling over backwards, nearly tumbling off the edge.

"...Bad idea, niblet." Nibbles muttered as Mystery face palmed.

"...Nibbles." Mystery sighed, turning to the squirrel, "You're the lightest, good idea if you go first."

"Good job I didn't eat that extra candy then, niblet." Nibbles took a deep breath, stepping onto the path. She wavered a bit, and Mystery reached out to steady her. "I'm okay." She stared straight ahead, avoiding looking down, taking one step at a time. Mystery kept the powerful torch in his hands fixed on the path ahead of him, allowing the squirrel to see the way. There was a groaning noise, and a shower of dust fell from above them. Nibbles paused, looking up with fright, before continuing. Cube and Bob remained behind Mystery, barely visible to even each other.

"Keep going, Nibbles." Mystery called out calmly, watching the squirrel as she carefully took one step at a time.

"Sh-Shouldn't you come after me in case I fall, niblet?" She stuttered, wavering for a moment. Mystery watched intently.

"I'm coming, pthhhpth!" Bob shouted, only for Mystery to block his charge with an arm. "Aww..." Mystery rolled his eyes, returning his attention to the squirrel. She wavered again, arms flailing momentarily, her foot almost slipping off the edge.

"Calm down!" Mystery said loudly, not panicked, but calm, "Concentrate. Keep your arms still, stop..." The squirrel was panicking, slowly beginning to calm down. "Deep breaths, just stay still." Nibbles gulped, before managing to regain her footing, pushing herself against the wall. "Almost there, come on." He turned back to Cube and Bob behind him, "...Now what to do with you two?" "Cube, take the light." Mystery passed the torch to the penguin, who almost dropped it immediately. The human glared at him, "Careful!" He sighed, looking to Nibbles as she reached the other side. "Bob, go just in front. I'll be behind. Cube, stick behind me. Both of you be careful. Cube, make sure we have light at all times."

"B-But, I'll fall and die-" Bob began with a stutter.

"Good!" Mystery snapped, shoving the cat onto the path. He wavered, almost tumbling straight into the abyss. Mystery reached out with his arm to steady him, "Move." One step at a time, Bob began crossing the ledge. Pieces of rock began to fall from the path as Cube stepped on behind them. Bob hesitated. "Keep going." One step after another, the trio crossed the ledge. Mystery's eyes darted upwards as bits of rubble began to fall on his head. Bob and Cube noticed too. "Keep going." Mystery instructed as Bob hesitated, "Going faster will only bring it down..."

"I think the battery's going on this thing, d-d-dude!" Cube said from behind.

"We'll be fine."

BOOM!

* * *

"You know what we're doing." Josh said as he quickly jogged down the slope, a group behind him, "We are finding that bullet, so we can prove it matches the gun Kabuki used... so close now, don't fail me." He stopped outside the police station, "Copper, you go first. You have a gun." The human turned to look behind him as the rest of the group came to a stop. With him and the guard were Louis, Roald, Purrl, Bones, Mitzi, Rosie and Dora. There was no reply for a while, and Josh frowned, about to repeat himself.

"No can do, sir!" Copper saluted.

"I'll tell you what's 'no can do'..." Josh muttered darkly, before suddenly lunging forward, drawing the gun from Copper's belt, immediately turning the safety off with a click, pointing it at him. "You go in first." Copper stared at him seriously as the others watched, wide-eyed. Josh gestured left with his head, and the guard dog entered the police station. Keeping the gun in his hand, Josh and the rest of the group followed him inside. "Start looking for the key." After ages of upturning desks, rummaging folders, files and cabinets, Josh gave up with a sigh, whacking a box full of books off the desk in frustration. There was a clang of metal as it hit the ground, and Josh frowned.

"What was that, squeaky?" Josh ignored Dora as he crouched down, spotting the handle of a trapdoor. He tugged at it. It was locked.

"Anyone able to pick locks?" Josh questioned, looking behind him. The animals exchanged glances. "Come on, we're not going to accuse you of being a thief... just own up if you can pick them."

"...I can, kitten." All eyes turned to Purrl with confusion as the cat strode gracefully over to the trapdoor, crouching down and pulling something from her pocket.

"Where on earth did you learn that, woof?" Bones questioned with confusion, watching the cat do her work.

"I'm not just glamour and good looks." Purrl replied in a purr, and Bones mumbled something under his breath. "And if you dare say I'm not those two things either, kitten... I will break your neck." She returned to her feet, "This lock can't be picked. No can do." Josh sighed, before giving a nod. He looked around the rest of the police station, seeing nowhere else of note that the bullet could be. The rest of the group looked also, before all attention was returned to the trap door. Josh tried pulling it open again, just in case. He sighed once more.

"Oh! Oh! I have an idea, silly!" All eyes turned to Rosie as she jumped up and down, "Is the door wooden, silly? We could... we could light the door on fire!"

"...And burn the police station down in the process." I commented, standing in the shadows. I'd felt rather detached from the entire situation for a while now. Jenny... my friend. When she first arrived, I'd hoped she'd become someone I could be friends with. Her constant cheerfulness, the conversation at Josh's house when our houses were being rebuilt... and now she's gone. I know that Josh knew her a lot better... I hardly knew her at all, that's why I didn't feel it was my place to take a large role in this.

"We could extinguish the flame before it gets out of control, silly!" Rosie continued.

"Tell ya what, b-b-buddy." Roald said sarcastically, "You go get a match and a bucket of water... we'll wait outside."

"Yaaaaaaay!" Rosie squealed, heading for the exit.

"JOKING!" Roald shouted quickly, and the cat halted in her steps.

"...Any other ideas?" Josh asked with a sigh.

* * *

"Don't look around!" Mystery hurriedly said as the three sped up. There was a crash from behind them and the entire path tremored. Mystery cried out as he tried regaining balance, looking down into the abyss as his feet teetered on the very edge. He watched as Cube stumbled, the torch and only light source falling down, soon becoming invisible and leaving them in darkness.

"Th-The path behind you has gone, niblet!" Came Nibbles from somewhere ahead as the three on the path finally regained their balance, "There's no way back!"

"...We can only hope this leads somewhere there." Mystery grunted as the three finally arrived on the other side. "Take each step carefully; don't want to walk into a massive hole with no light. Let's go." Eventually, after having to navigate a detour around a large hole in the path, they came to a junction. One route went straight ahead, the other went right. There was no indication as to what went where. "...Straight ahead." The human eventually decided, leading the three with him forward. They continued for a while, before...

"Ow!" Bob suddenly exclaimed, walking face first into something, "Owwwwwwww!"

"Be quiet, niblet!" Nibbles snapped, frowning as she felt what they'd walked into, "It's a door, niblet!" Mystery approached it, turning the handle. After a few seconds, it began turning on itself. "I-Is that voices?" Mystery pressed his ear against the door, trying to hear.

* * *

"Success, b-b-buddy." Roald murmured, putting the sledgehammer back on the ground, "Nothing can resist sheer force! Not even you, Mr. Lock, b-b-buddy." Josh smiled thinly as he crouched down, lifting the broken hatch. He pulled it open, staring down into the darkness.

"Grab me a torch." Josh instructed, and I quickly took the one I'd found from my pocket, throwing it to him. He caught it, switching it on and pointing it into the darkness below. "It looks about ten feet or so down, there's a ladder... I don't want all of us going down, just in case something bad happens. Roald, Bones, with me. The rest of you, be back at the courtroom in two hours. Look for the bullet. Us, meanwhile... I doubt this will help arrest Kabuki, but... if Bobby is the killer, I will be the one to catch her." The group nodded, before Josh lowered himself into the passage, Roald and Bones following.

They found themselves in a simple tunnel which seemed to be part of the sewers. They headed in two directions, left or right. On the wall was a strange diagram. A dinosaur skeleton head with an arrow pointing left, and a tree pointing right.

"I say we go left, woof!" Bones exclaimed, approaching the dinosaur head on the wall, "What if this leads to the cave? Bobby obviously uses this... so... Maybe she'd be there." Josh considered this, before nodding.

"How about I follow this way while you two head to the cave, b-b-buddy?" Roald suggested with a shrug.

"No, for two reasons." Josh denied his suggestion, "One, we only have one torch... and two, if Bobby is the real killer and is down there, she'll have a gun."

"What difference would it make us all being there, b-b-buddy?" Roald questioned. Josh smiled slightly, lifting up the very bottom of his shirt to reveal the handle of a gun sticking out of his trouser pocket. "...Oh. That makes a lot of difference." He chuckled, before the three headed left. They eventually arrived at a sudden drop, though the distance could be covered by jumping. "I'll go first, b-b-buddy." Roald said confidently, and before Josh or Bones could protest, the penguin leapt the gap easily, safely landing on the opposite side. "Simple!" Josh gave a sigh, looking to Bones, thinking. He eyed the gap nervously.

Josh took a deep breath, "I'll go next." He stepped forward. Crack. Roald looked up at the ceiling in shock, as a chunk of rock suddenly fell. Josh's eyes widened, and he shouted, "Jump back over!" The penguin threw himself off the edge, unable to aim properly. Josh grabbed the penguin's wing, the sudden force on his muscle almost pulling him off also. Bones quickly grabbed Roald's other wing, and together the two pulled the penguin back on. The three tumbled to a heap, breathing heavily. "...So much for that idea." The boy pushed himself back to his feet, extending a hand to help Bones, "Impassable, now. I guess we find out where that tree diagram leads... or look elsewhere." The three returned to the diagram, this time going right to follow the tree diagram. Eventually, they arrived at an open door, which led into some kind of store room. "In we go, then... careful now." The group entered, immediately starting to search through various boxes and cabinets.

"Got it, woof!" Bones suddenly exclaimed excitedly, picking up the concealed bag. Josh approached warily, and the dog held the missing bullet up in front of him. Josh paled, seeing the dried blood on the point of it. The blood of his best friend... his 'sister'... Jenny... Bones seemed to notice the reaction, quickly giving it to Roald. "Erm... keep hold of this, woof..." Josh closed his eyes momentarily with a sigh.

"Let's get back, then..." The boy instructed, "We already have the decisive evidence." But before they could even turn, they heard the door slam. All together, they turned to see the door shut. A lock clicked.

* * *

"Help! Help!"

"Who the heck's in there?" Mystery shouted out.

"Mystery?" The boy frowned, "It's Josh. Bobby... or someone, locked us in here! Let us out!" Mystery drew out his phone, only able to produce a dim light, not good for walking, but enough to make out a code dial on the lock. He frowned, seeing there were three different numbers, all set to '1'. To unlock it, the correct three-digit code was required.

"Any ideas, niblet?" Nibbles asked, as Mystery began to think.

"Come on, come on..." Mystery closed his eyes, banging his head gently on the door as he thought, "Three digit number..." Several possibilities went through his mind, before a certain book clicked into mind, "Aha... of course... the answer to the entire world... 412."

"...412? How is that the answer to anything, d-d-dude?" Cube questioned.

Mystery simply chuckled, "Never you mind..." He clicked the three numbers into the padlock, and it opened. Mystery opened the door, seeing Josh, Bones and Roald inside. "Have you never heard of keeping someone stationary outside? Simple care techniques, boss." Josh said nothing, smiling sarcastically. "Anyway... you got the bullet?" Josh still was silent, simply holding up the bag. "Excellent... well, unfortunately, the true culprit got away. Now... our route here got destroyed, so if you'd kindly lead us back to... how the heck did you get down here anyway?"

"...You work in the police station, you should know." Josh rolled his eyes, "Anyway, we turn left at the junction, leads up through a trap door." Josh then walked off, Bones and Roald close behind. As Bob and Cube followed, Mystery and Nibbles exchanged frowns.

"...A trap door?"


	46. Trial Part Two

E. Taylor - Well, it's over now so you missed your chance. :P Thanks

Lumoa - He'll be back frequently in the sequel, don't worry. xDD

texancoconut51 - Thanks :)

misty-the-fox103 - Haha, well, the case is over on ACC so the murderer has been revealed. Don't look if you don't want it spoiled though. Thank you :)

emma2679 - Boring review from emma. ;_; Disappointed. Thanks :P

rAwrXdiNo3 - Thank you. :) And yeah, I tried to put some emotion into the whole thing. Blinded by his determination to find Kabuki guilty, wanting revenge on whoever killed Jenny. In the ending chapters of BWIADW, when he has time to relax, I'm really going to work on the emotion.

[noname] - Thank you, Mr/Mrs Mysterious Person :)

ZellBell - Yaay, thanks. ^^ Means a lot

The living Pen - The rest will be here soon. P= Here's the next part, anyhow. Thanks.

Anyway, I'm warning you now that the end of the trial... is slightly... er... action-packed. o3o I'm quite pleased with it. I'm going to put two days between each update, so hopefully I get some reviews to reply to with each one~ So the next part of the trial is coming on the 1st May!

Trial Part Two

"Recommencing the trial of Kabuki." Pete announced, slamming his mallet on the desk, "Has the police chief been... er... found?" He looked with a frown to the unconscious police dog who was being guarded by Tank and Wolfgang.

"Yeah, man, ker-POW!" Tank exclaimed enthusiastically, clapping his hooves which caused an echo, "It was so epic! She pointed a gun at us, and Wolfgang and me worked together and... ker-POW! Bam, bam, bam." He smacked his left hoof into his other hoof as emphasis, "It was... epic, ker-POW!"

"...Yes, well... erm..." Pete trailed off, "Well done on the capture. But I must ask... why was it necessary? Defence, what have you learned?" The room's attention turned to Mystery, who was calmly stood at his desk, face emotionless. "I asked you to find Bobby, which you succeeded at... so well done. What can you tell us about the case?"

"I think this case is very simple." Mystery began, "And there is only one bit of evidence, now easily attainable, that is preventing the 'Not Guilty' verdict... In the wilderness, through the trap door, Bobby and I both confronted Kabuki, who had a gun pointed at us. The lights went off; Bobby shot Jenny using the gun she stole from Booker... because obviously, if she used her own gun, it would be far too obvious it was her, and escaped. She hid the bullet, taken from the guard room when she was alone, in a secret room in the cave to seem to hide it. She probably expected the group to find the bullet and use the ballistic markings to track it back to Booker's gun, which Bobby gave to Kabuki to try and frame him, and hid in the cave that the police station is connected to."

"Wait..." Josh suddenly cut in with a frown, "There's a contradiction in what you just said... Even if Bobby's been trying to cover up something, we still aren't sure who exactly fired the gun." Josh announced as all eyes turned to him. Mystery folded his arms with interest, waiting for what the boy had to say. "If Bobby stole Booker's gun, and it could have been Kabuki too, then either Bobby or Kabuki could have had either gun in the cave when Jenny was killed. I don't really think there's any certain way of telling who did it, since I don't recall anything about the gun Kabuki had still being around."

"Oh... um..." Booker meekly said from the audience, standing awkwardly, "The gun Kabuki had... is in the evidence... I think..."

"Well..." Pete frowned, "Whose gun was it?"

"They... um..." Booker scratched his head, "They all look the same, sir... It could be either... I think..."

"Useless." Mystery sighed, rubbing his temples. "Look, spectating is useless when we have CLEAR evidence we can use to solve this case! We use the bullet that the prosecution recovered. And we check the ballistic markings of the bullet and compare to both guns."

"That's not going to solve everything." Josh shook his head.

"Why not?" Mystery asked with a frown, "If we find the ballistic markings, the gun was taken from Kabuki directly... if it matches the gun, we have the killer."

"Um..." Booker interrupted, and Mystery sighed, turning to look at the dog. "We kind of... forgot to label which gun was which... that's what I meant by them looking the same..."

"Exactly!" Josh finalised, "We may find out which gun fired the bullet, but we are no closer to solving the crime through it."

"So?" Mystery immediately retorted, raising his arms in a questioning way, seeming annoyed, "So what? We still solve part of the case. We find out which gun fired the bullet, and we can label it for sure. Get the ballistic markings." As Pete nodded, Copper and Booker approached the table, taking the bullet. The courtroom waited, rather impatiently, for half an hour before the two police dogs returned. "And what did you find out?"

"The ballistic markings match this gun, sir!" Copper saluted, holding up a gun. "That means that either Bobby or Kabuki killed Jenny, sir! My gun wasn't at the scene, and Mystery still has his gun, which doesn't match... meaning it can't have been mine or Mystery's guns that fired, sir!"

"And so we're back to square one." Josh sighed, tapping his fingers on the desk as he thought, "We are still left with two suspects. Bobby or Kabuki killed Jenny... we need to find some other way of getting proof." Silence fell in the courtroom. Josh and Mystery exchanged glances, both thinking deeply. And that is of course by finding the-" Josh began.

"Pawprints." Mystery cut in, and Josh nodded with a slight smirk, "Yes. Take the matching gun... take both guns, in fact, and get the paw prints from them, please." Copper saluted, before taking the two guns, each sealed in an evidence bag, away from the museum. Again, the courtroom waited patiently, before eventually Copper rushed back in, presenting the guns, each now with a note on them, to Mystery. "Alright, here we go... Let's go for the gun that didn't kill Jenny first... Bobby's." He looked to the police dog warily. Josh smirked as Mystery looked back up to him emotionlessly.

"Then tell me, Mystery." Josh said, "Whose prints are on the killer's gun?"

The courtroom waited silently as Mystery announced the finalising words, "The prints on the killing gun... belong to Booker and Kabuki. This is Booker's missing gun, the gun that fired, and... the gun Kabuki used..."

"Used to kill Jenny." Josh finished, folding his arms, "The prosecution calls for a verdict." Mystery bowed his head with a sigh, before looking up grimly, nodding. Kabuki was stood at his desk emotionlessly. Pete looked from one person to the other.

"...What is confusing about this case..." Pete said, "Is that we didn't even need to testify the killer himself. But... the evidence is decisive... We were worried that Bobby had killed Jenny, but... that's impossible. The bullet was fired from Kabuki's gun, it didn't have Bobby's prints on.. and it couldn't have been cleaned or framed because Booker's prints were on it too. The court finds the defendant, Kabuki... of killing resident Jenny... Guilt-"

"OBJECTION!" Everyone whipped their heads around with surprise as the doors to the museum burst open. Mystery's eyebrows raised, folding his arms as he watched Static, Wolfgang and I rush down the aisle in the chairs. Josh's eyes narrowed angrily as he placed his hands on the desk, waiting intently. Pete simply seemed confused, unsure of whether to finish what he was saying or not. Kabuki didn't even turn, simply staring straight forward as usual. "O...Objection!" I was out of breath as I came to a stop in front of Pete's desk, "We can't sentence Kabuki!"

"Let Louis speak." After a while of silence, the confusion was finally broken by Mystery, who was immediately looking confident again, "If I remember correctly, this is allowed in court cases as long as the judge has not finished the verdict. And Pete here didn't slam that mallet. If Louis and co. have some new evidence, it should be allowed to be brought to light."

"Objection!" Josh snapped, slamming his hand on the desk, before wincing at the stinging of the gesture, "...We already have decisive evidence. The bullet came from the gun which only has Kabuki's prints on it. He's the only one who could of killed Jenny. No kind of new information could change this fact at all. Nothing can change it."

"This will change it!" I protested, before stepping up to the witness stand, "And I don't care whether I'm allowed, I'm presenting it." I held up to the audience a clear bag. Inside it was a bullet... and on the point of the bullet... was blood. Josh's eyes widened as he stared at it. "Another bullet! Found hidden in the cave, where the dinosaur skeleton was. And I suggest we get a match of this blood... because if my theory is correct, TWO bullets were fired at that scene. And there's a 50/50 chance of this bullet here being the one that killed Jenny, and the one you already have."

There was silence in the crowd, before, "...Booker, check the blood and ballistic markings of this bullet. Immediately!" Booker scurried away with the bullet. The atmosphere was tense as they waited. Josh had his arms folded, head bowed, clearly frustrated. Mystery had his hands on the desk, tapping his foot impatiently. Finally, the doors flew open and Booker rushed back in, handing the results to Pete. The audience waited with baited breath. "...The blood is Jenny's." Josh looked up at this, eyes again on the dried red liquid of his best friend. "And... the ballistic markings link this bullet... to Bobby's gun." Gasps and murmuring came from around. Mystery smirked slightly, standing up straight once more. Josh slowly turned to face Bobby, eyes emotionless.

The police dog sighed, before saying, "Only one bullet was found in the victim. I fired a bullet, yes, because Kabuki fired. I saw him about to fire, we fired at the same time, mine went into the grandfather clock that was behind Kabuki."

"Take the stand, Bobby." Pete ordered, and the police dog simply nodded, going to replace me at the witness stand.

"And how did the bullet get from the grandfather clock to the cave, exactly?" Josh questioned.

"Kabuki's the one that knows the cave." Bobby shrugged, before saying, "And if you think... it's obvious. We found Kabuki in the cave, before arresting him... now tell me, how do YOU think the bullet got from the crime scene to the cave?"

"Exactly." Josh finalised firmly, before continuing, "The bullet hit the clock behind Kabuki... The lights were off for over a minute after the two bullets were fired, Kabuki heard the clock smash from behind him and reclaimed the bullet. The prosecution would like to call Kabuki to the stand."

A/N: COMING SOON...

_"We aren't done questioning Bobby. I refuse to see her off the stand until we have sufficient information from her about... What I said before."_

_"Then obviously, she was aiming for Kabuki, not Jenny. Bobby might be guilty of attempted murder on Kabuki, but she didn't kill Jenny. And either way, as my witness has stated, she could tell Kabuki was about to fire and wanted to protect me... or Jenny... whoever. But either way, we need to map out the scene. Let's try and remember this." _

_"Police chief Bobby had nothing to do with the murder! And I know who the real murderer is, for they gave a signal at the scene of crime to turn the lights off, and then shot Jenny!" _

_"Stop! Who told you to turn off the light? Answer me!" _

_"I gave the command to switch off the lights." The boy's shoulders slumped, and he turned around to stare at the speaker. Mystery folded his arms, keeping quiet as he waited for an explanation. The entire room waited with baited breath. "However... I may have confessed to this murder, but you're not catching me."_

_(The following are not all the same part, they're little snippits) _

_He/She whipped his/her fist back, before punching ? hard in the face . He/She crouched down, pulling the gun free of his/her pocket, clicking the safety off and pointing it at Josh. There stood Mystery, an empty evidence bag dropping to the floor as he raised the gun that had been inside to point directly at his/her head. Josh moved his eyes from the gun to stare at him in shock. He/ She lowered the gun slightly, and fired. ? screamed in pain. A piercing scream followed as ? collapsed to the ground. He/she lowered and pocketed his/her gun in his/her holster with a sigh, watching as ? took his/her last few breaths_ .

The conclusion will be epic... who killed Jenny? Who is shot? The truth will be revealed soon in the closing chapters to BWIADW... Unless you want it spoiled, don't look at ACC. Wait for it here~


	47. Trial Part Three

H.M. ToT - Welcome. :) Louis will be back as a central character in the sequel, don't worry. :P BWIADW has been an introduction, really... all we've seen in the almost 50 chapter fanfic is introductions of the characters, Louis trying to fit in, and then the whole cave storyline... leading up to Kabuki trying to kill Josh, Jenny's death and then the trial. The sequel will start exploring the actual characters a bit more. I will post in an author's note at the end when the sequel is up and the title.

Obzezzed - You're on my buddy list now. :P Thank you. ^^

Trial Part Three

"Nothing has been explained as to why Bobby left during the case or why she lied to the court about Mystery's gun," Mystery immediately retorted, shaking his head, "And Kabuki apparently had a bag to hide the real bullet? Plus, for Kabuki to retrieve the bullet, he would have Jenny's blood on him." Josh raised his eyebrows, Mystery smirked.

"I feel Kabuki is still guilty and is framing my client." Josh replied in a snap, "Bobby has been in this town for over a decade, she is a well respected police chief... why would she kill anyone? She's defended this town with her life. My theory... In a rush, he grabbed the bullet from inside the grandfather clock and tried to frame Bobby by putting Jenny's blood on it. Since the ballistic markings would match her gun, he wouldn't be a suspect. I still want to speak to Kabuki! How long will it take for the defence to figure out something that isn't true?"

"We aren't done questioning Bobby." Mystery argued, slamming his hand on the desk yet again, "I refuse to see her off the stand until we have sufficient information from her about... What I said before."

"I am afraid that Bobby cannot leave the stand unless both sides agree." Pete explained, and said, "Witness, you will answer the questions."

"Why did you leave during the case?" Mystery questioned. "Why did you lie to the court?" Silence fell in the courtroom, and Bobby bowed her head. "Answer the question!" Bobby looked back up emotionlessly, and the atmosphere turned tense. "Witness, this is a courtr-"

"I know that." Bobby finally said, and Mystery broke off, "I am a police chief, after all. I can give you no satisfying evidence. But I think you will find that you have nothing that proves either myself or Kabuki to this crime. Regardless of what anyone says, there is no decisive evidence. Yet. You claim to not believe me about the grandfather clock... I suggest you go back to that room and check."

"The witness is correct." Pete said after a moment of silence, "There has been no evidence presented that firmly links either Bobby or Kabuki to be the murder. Both fired bullets, both bullets had blood on... the only way to find the murderer, is to go back to the murder scene and see this clo-"

"No need, sir!" All eyes turned to Copper as he got to his feet, "I have a photo right here!" He held a black and white photograph up to Pete. It showed a picture of a grandfather clock, recognised from the scene of crime, with glass shards all over the floor and inside. "The chief of police is telling the truth, sir!"

"...I see." Pete gave a sigh, looking from Copper, to Bobby, to Kabuki. "I see this as very firm evidence... but I am afraid I must insist that the witness answers the questions. Why did you leave during the case?"

"Indeed." Mystery added with a sneer, "Would it perhaps be to hide the bullets? I can sum this case up right now, Your Honor."

"Objection!" Josh shouted, "Copper has easily found a strong piece of evidence that points away from Bobby. Her bullet hit the grandfather clock. Now as to why she missed you and hit the clock? Her paw may have shaken at the wrong moment and flew past him. Or she did aim for him but he jumped out of the way. All we know is unless Jenny was hiding in the grandfather clock, which is crazy and wrong... Bobby is innocent!"

"I simply stated that she COULD HAVE hit me." Mystery retorted, "I was close to Kabuki. And I'll be so bold as to say that when the lights went off, Bobby turned and fired at Jenny, while Kabuki also turned and shot the clock. Even still though. There's not enough evidence to prove what I'm saying is true or false..."

"Yes, she could have hit you, who was near Kabuki, but missed and hit the clock, correct?" Josh questioned, and Mystery nodded, "Then obviously, she was aiming for Kabuki, not Jenny. Bobby might be guilty of attempted murder on Kabuki, but she didn't kill Jenny. And either way, as my witness has stated, she could tell Kabuki was about to fire and wanted to protect me... or Jenny... whoever. But either way, we need to map out the scene. Let's try and remember this." As the two began discussing the locations, a final map was produced.

"By the way this map looks, it looks like Bobby fired at Kabuki, he ran out the door and she hit the clock." Josh mused as he examined the finished map. "Also, at the direction everyone's facing, it's more logical that Kabuki killed Jenny."

"It states everyone's positions, yes." Mystery agreed, before contradicting with, "NOT the way they were facing, however. Before the lights went out, we can probably agree that everyone was facing Kabuki. Afterwards, near anything could have happened. They were out long enough for Bobby to turn, and shoot into the crowd. Judging by that map, it looks like if Kabuki had tried to shoot Jenny, or anyone else in that area, it would've hit either Bobby or myself. Unless Kabuki had a really lucky misfire and made the bullet sail between Bobby's and my shoulders, then it would not hit Jenny. Bobby, however, as I said... could have just turned and very realistically shot Jenny."

"Remember though, Bobby shot at Kabuki and her bullet sailed into the grandfather clock." Josh protested, folding his arms, "People move around, so Bobby probably stepped forward creating more space for Kabuki's bullet to fire past her. There were two bullets fired, yes? Why would Kabuki turn around and fire at a clock? There was definitely a bullet fired that hit the clock... which is more logical, Mystery? Bobby firing at Kabuki and missing? Or Kabuki for some reason turning around and shooting the clock because he didn't like it?"

"This is going nowhere." Pete cut in with a sigh, "However, I agree with the prosecution... A bullet was indeed fired at the clock. Unless you can come up with a plausible solution for how Bobby could have killed Jenny, taking into consideration how the clock was shot... then the case is closed. No more warnings. Make sure your theory is solid."

"There is no way any clear story can be determined from this insufficient amount of evidence." Mystery gave a sigh, "For now all we can do is do what we've been doing now, which is making up theories about everything, wasting our time since we have no clear proof that anyone did anything." The audience murmured in agreement with this, "I declare that there is no possible way to finish this case. Although unlikely, it still IS possible that Kabuki turned and shot the clock, while Bobby killed Jenny. Unless we find a way to find out which bullet was the killing... and then match it to the gun, there is no way."

"...I have to agree with the defence." Pete declared, and Josh rolled his eyes, "However, both Bobby and Kabuki fired bullets un-necessarily today... And we cannot forget Kabuki's attempted murder of Josh, and almost killing Louis. Bobby is to be stood down from head of police; she acted unprofessionally by trying to kill Kabuki rashly. Kabuki... you are under arrest for attempted murder. We obviously have no jail here, but you are to live in the police station, under constant watch by Copper and Booker... for a... year. The case is clo-"

"OBJECTION!"

"What now?" Mystery exclaimed loudly, turning to see who had interrupted. Pete gave a sigh, slapping his forehead with his wing. Josh immediately straightened eagerly, glad for another chance. All eyes turned to Copper as he marched towards the front of the museum.

"Objection, sir!" The police dog exclaimed again, "I will not allow you to remove our fine police chief unfairly, sir! She is innocent, sir!"

"...She attempted to murder the suspect, officer." Pete replied dryly, looking at Copper as he saluted, "Unprofessional, could have gone horribly wro-"

"No!" Copper shook his head vigorously, "I have information, sir! Bobby has nothing to do with it, sir. I will only tell you this case-changing evidence if you draw back your dismissal, sir!"

"...What do the prosecution and defence have to say?" Pete gave a deep sigh, looking to Josh and Mystery.

"I'm going to say we listen to him..." Mystery eventually replied after deep thought, "However, if he's got nothing really important to say, keep Bobby's sentence."

"No, sir!" Copper snapped, "I need your word regardless of whether this is important, sir! But I guarantee it is."

"We didn't stop Louis from presenting his evidence, and we were about to win." Josh cut off Mystery as he began to speak, "What if that happens here? I say let him talk... its only fair seeing as Louis was able to. And if it turns out irrelevant, so be it. Bobby had nothing to do with it anyway... and even if she did, she is the best guard Honevray has. Let Copper talk."

"...Very well." Pete resigned with a sigh, "Copper please take the stand." The police dog saluted, before professionally marching over to the witness stand, saluting once more. "Please... um... state this evidence to the court."

"I was told not to speak of this, sir!" Copper exclaimed, saluting yet again, "Which is why it was not said before this, sir... I apologise for the inconvenience. But I will not see our fine police chief stood down, sir! One thing you haven't really considered is how the lights turned off, sir. And I will tell you now... it was Booker who turned the lights off!" Gasps came from all around as everyone stared at Booker.

"...Well, alright." Mystery responded, folding his arms, "So he was Bobby's accomplice... how is this evidence at all?"

"No, sir!" Copper snapped, and Mystery winced at the exclamation at the end, "Police chief Bobby had nothing to do with the murder! And I know who the real murderer is, for they gave a signal at the scene of crime to turn the lights off, and then shot Jenny!"

"Who?" Josh shouted with exasperation.

"Two bullets were fired, guard." Mystery added, "Kabuki, we all had our eyes on him... Nobody saw this signal! And you insist that Bobby is innocent, and let's say that's true... There is no-one that could be the killer, logically... Unless somehow, a third bullet was fired at the exact same time, and someone removed it... it's unbelievable enough that there were two at once... Your Honor, this is pointless. Arrest Kabuki, stand down Bobby, this case is done. I'm sick of pointless interru-"

"No, sir!" Copper snapped, grabbing his spear, marching over to Mystery's desk and stabbing the sharp end into the wood. Mystery flinched, immediately retreating from the table. "Our agreement! If you heard my evidence, the police chief would not be stood down, sir. That was the agreement."

"And I negotiated that for it to be only if it is useful!" Mystery hissed, yanking the spear out of the wood and shoving it back into Copper's hands, "It's not useful! All we know is that Booker, who no way would have such geniosity to think of it himself, was acting on someone's orders by turning off the light. And what one animal would he follow the command of in this town? His boss! He probably didn't even know what for, let alone consider it for murder... There is no way it could be anyone else but the chief of police... This also explains how the two bullets were hidden in two completely different places, in such a short time. And how the evidence was tampered with. Our police force is corrupt!"

"...I agree with the defence." Pete decided, sitting up straight, "Does the prosecution have any last words? But again, there is no decisive evidence. I will stand Bobby down from her position, with no other consequence, unless the prosecution has reason to object."

"Objection!" Josh shouted, causing Mystery to contemplate impaling himself on Copper's spear with an exasperated sigh. "Why are we just assuming that Mystery is right? Remember? Innocent until proven guilty? Booker turning off the light is one thing. Putting the blame on Bobby is exactly what we've been arguing over: a theory. Bring Booker to the stand and let him speak!"

"Alright." Mystery shrugged, "On one condition... Unless we find any new, decisive evidence, then this is it. This has gone on too long! Booker's your last hope, boss! I will let you ask the first question."

"...Fine by me." Josh hissed, grip tightening on his desk. "Booker, to the stand!" The police dog sighed as he yet again found himself behind the witness desk. Josh stared at him with determination, considering what to ask. Mystery began writing down notes, looking up every once in a while. "...Right." Josh paused, before immediately going on to ask, "I'll ask the question on everyone's minds... and that is... why did you turn off the light?"

"Um... somebody asked me... I think..." Booker mumbled, staring at the floor. Josh's head met his desk. Mystery chuckled dryly, and Pete's wings covered his face with a groan.


	48. Trial Conclusion

imabeemee - They're awesome games. o3o Thanks

rAwrXdiNo3 - Haha, if you thought that was intense, read this one... Thanks

misty-the-fox103 - The whole lights thing is explained in this chapter. Thanks :P

bomrocks23 - Thanks :)

o-CrystalSakura-o - Thank you. :D You'll see the answer to your hopes in this chapter.

Anyway, here's the -hopefully- epic conclusion to the trial, and the end of BWIADW's plot. Just got one or two closing chapters to do, to get us to 50 chapters, before we're onto the sequel. Enjoy, or hate. Your choice. Either way, things are returning to sane after this.

Trial Conclusion

"...This is going to get frustrating..." Mystery sighed.

"Booker, we're all friends here. Who asked you to turn off the light?" Mystery face-palmed.

"U-Um..."

"Who has asked you a question recently before this trial?" Mystery sat down for the first time during the trial, resting his chin in his hands.

"...W-What...?"

"Wh-"

"Stop!" Mystery suddenly snapped, jumping back to his feet in frustration. He marched over to Booker's desk, causing the guard to quiver in fear, "Who told you to turn off the light?" No reply. "Answer me!" He slammed his hands down in front of Booker, and the dog fell backwards off the chair, landing on the floor in a heap. He curled up, crying. "Stop crying you pathetic guard! Who told you?"

Josh soon appeared behind Mystery, commenting dryly, "I don't think going all bad cop's going to work."

"...Nice observation, genius." Mystery snapped, turning around to face the younger boy, "How do you propose we get him to talk?"

The estate agent simply smiled slightly, "Well... if you're so sure that she's guilty... who's the one person he'll answer to?" Pulling him away from the sobbing Booker, he murmured, "Get Bobby to order him to answer... case solved." Mystery considered, before giving a sharp nod and marching over to Bobby.

"You." He said bluntly, "Get him to talk." Bobby stared up at him silently, saying nothing. "Okay, this is getting ridiculous." He turned back to Josh, asking, "Now what?"

"A shame, really..." Josh commented, turning from Bobby. The police chief looked up to him emotionlessly, not replying. Josh took a few steps, before turning again to face her, "After all this, all we've gone through... and here's your chance to prove you didn't commit the crime. Perhaps I was wrong about you, after all... Because why would you refuse the order if it wasn't you who made Booker turn off the lights?" His features darkened as he approached her once more, "I no longer care about trying to find Kabuki guilty... all I care about now is finding out who killed the one person on this planet I cared about."

"Well, geez, boss." Mystery suddenly interrupted, "I'm offended."

"Shut it." Josh snapped, shooting him a sideward glare. Mystery chuckled. "And if you really didn't kill Jenny... then you will make Booker talk... or I will do everything in my power to ensure that you receive the guilty verdict today." Silence fell as Josh finished, and Bobby remained keeping eye contact with him the entire time. "No? Pity. Let's cont-"

"I gave Booker the command to switch off the lights." Bobby cut in calmly. Not loudly, not with power... but it was enough to cause Josh to fall silent. The boy's shoulders slumped, and he turned around to stare at her. Mystery folded his arms, keeping quiet as he waited for an explanation. The entire room waited with baited breath as Bobby climbed to her feet emotionlessly, "I will explain to you the entire event... as long as you promise me one thing. I do not want Kabuki punished for attempting to kill Josh, and I'll explain why soon... and I don't want any trouble to come to Copper or Booker. As for who will take over my position at the police station... I request Mystery."

The human gave an incredulous frown, "M-Me?"

"Him?" Josh added with just as incredulous a tone.

"Well..." Pete gave an uncertain sigh as he watched the scene, "I can't prolong this any further... But Josh, what do you think about clearing Kabuki?"

Josh looked to the pelican, his expression tired. He then looked to the cat in question, who was sat with his head bowed. "...With this turn of events... I think I know already what happened. I expect that Bobby blackmailed him into..." He broke off with a frown, looking to Bobby with a look of horror, "H-Hang on a second... Kabuki..." He turned on his heels to look back at the cat, "S-She... The passage from the police station... Kabuki going in to find Kapp'n... Goldie..."

"Will you stop rambling and make sense?" Mystery snapped, causing Josh to flinch. "For crying out loud, you have us all on our toes!"

"Don't you get it?" Josh questioned, face pale now as he looked to the frustrated Mystery, "That passage in the police station! It leads to the caves! When we went to rescue Kapp'n... somehow, in some way, we lost Goldie... how? When Kabuki tried to kill me, I was left thinking that he had murdered her... I don't know why, but... that was the only solution. But what if... what if it was Bobby?" Mystery's face suddenly showed recognition. Josh looked to him.

"...Yes." He agreed, "She could have used the passage to get to the cave... and she kidnapped Goldie! And Kapp'n before... yes! And she blackmailed Kabuki into killing you on the condition that she returned Goldie and Kapp'n! And she killed Jenny..."

"There's only one thing that doesn't make sense." Josh finished, folding his arms. The entire courtroom was whispering at this turn of events, but Josh paid no attention. "The clock. If Bobby killed Jenny, how did Kabuki shoot the clock?" Mystery gave a sigh at this, scratching his head awkwardly. Josh frowned, "...You know, don't you? You knew all along!"

"Erm..." Mystery gave a second sigh, before explaining meekly, "When the lights went out, I moved forward, struggled with Kabuki a bit and he fired the gun. I was pulling his arm back... and yes, it fired behind him. Why do you think I wanted to defend him?"

Josh stared at him, "Then why didn't you say that at the start?" Mystery simply shrugged. "...No, you can't just shrug. That could have solved the case... and you... why?" Mystery shrugged again. "...You know what, forget it. We have the killer, now." He turned back to face Bobby, "So? How do you plead?"

Bobby stared at him sincerely, "I am truly, truly sorry. Killing her was a mistake." Josh frowned slightly. "But anyway, I said I would explain the events... but I guess there is no need for me to. However... I may have confessed to this murder, but you're not catching me." She smiled mysteriously. "It may not have been me in person who captured Goldie and Kapp'n, and then blackmailed Kabuki into killing you. But... I know where they are, and my condition still stands. They will be returned only if _you_are dead." She lifted a paw to point at Josh, who stared emotionlessly, "And I am sorry, but you have lost. I work with an order of animals who restore the balance in this world. The balance is tilted, and very soon... the world will become undone."

She turned from Josh, now addressing the audience behind her, "I am not evil. We are not evil. We work for the world, my dear animals... and humans are poison to it." She gave a short laugh, "And one by one, I will ensure that the poison is removed. If you want any hope for this world, then kill the most poisonous of them all." She turned her head, giving Josh a rather crazed glare, "Kill him... and Goldie and Kapp'n will both be returned, unharmed. You have a time limit, though... and the time limit is over when the world decides. And when it does, you will know it..."

She suddenly whipped around, approaching Mystery, whose eyes widened. She whipped her fist back, before punching the human hard in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground, head slamming against the cold floor. She crouched down, pulling his gun free of his pocket, clicking the safety off and pointing it at Josh. "It would be so much easier if I just got this out of the way now..." She advanced on him, until she was but a few feet away. "How about it, human? Would you like to be reunited with your sister?" Josh's face showed brief pain as she said this, but still he said nothing. Nor did he move. "Again, my sincere apologies for taking her away from you. But at least this way, neither of you have to suffer being away from each other..."

Click.

"Lower the gun." Bobby looked over her shoulder with a surprised expression. There stood Mystery, an empty evidence bag dropping to the floor as he raised the gun that had been inside to point directly at Bobby's head. Josh moved his eyes from Bobby's gun to stare at him in shock. "Now." Bobby remained staring at him, before smiling.

"...Perhaps I shouldn't restrict myself to just killing one of the poisonous..." Bobby hissed, and she turned her gun now to point at Mystery. Josh moved. "Aaaargh!" Bobby screamed as Josh threw himself on her. A bullet fired, hitting the chandelier on the ceiling. There was a flash of sparks, before the light unit fell from the ceiling. Bobby and Josh hit the ground, Bobby looking up and screaming. She threw herself out of the way, and Mystery hurried over to pull Josh away as the large chandelier smashed to pieces on the ground.

"Saved your life, twice!" Mystery exclaimed as he helped the boy up, gun now pointed at Bobby, who slowly rose to her feet. "You owe me one then, seeing as you just saved my life then too."

"I'll work on it." Josh replied wearily, breathing heavily as he stared to the ex-chief of police with anger. Bobby laughed, pointing her gun at Mystery again.

"If you kill me, then Goldie and Kapp'n both die." She said with a smile, "And they won't stop there. They will come, and they will kill you all." She lowered the gun slightly, and fired. Mystery screamed in pain as the bullet embedded itself in his hand, the gun clattering to the ground. Josh immediately dove down to grab it, whipping it around to face Bobby and firing. Bobby swerved out of the way before he could even fire, the bullet narrowly missing Pete and hitting the museum wall behind. "Ahaha! Never thought you'd have it in you!" Josh resumed to full height, gun pointed at her, unwavering. His eyes were narrowed. "Don't even bother, boy... I've already told you. Kill me, and you will regret it.

Click.

Bobby sighed as she turned now to face Copper. "Lower the gun, ma'am." Copper ordered as he advanced on her, gun pointed at her. "You are free to leave, but you shoot him... and I shoot you." There was another click, and a clatter as Booker accidentally dropped the other evidence gun. The clumsy guard quickly regained his composure, pointing his own shaky gun hand now at Bobby.

"Well, well..." Bobby commented darkly, looking from Copper to Booker, "My own two guards turned against me..."

"Lower the gun, ma'am." Copper ordered again, paying no attention to her words. "You're outnumbered; you won't leave this place alive unless you lower the gun now."

"She won't leave this place alive at all." Bobby turned to face Josh as he focussed the gun right at her chest, and fired. A piercing scream followed as Bobby collapsed to the ground. Josh allowed his gun to drop to the floor as his face filled with emotion. He looked at the blood pouring from Bobby's chest as he slowly approached her.

_"J-Jenny!" Josh cried as he fell to his knees beside her. He couldn't even see... but she'd been clinging to his arm... a bullet... she screamed... The lights turned back on, and his skin paled as he saw the blood... she'd been shot in the heart. "Jenny..." He lifted her upper body so her head was rested against him, simply hugging her close. Tears fell from his eyes as he watched his best friend's eyes close, the colour and life fading from her once cheerful, once full of kindness and energy, face. Her hand fell limp inside his._

"...F...Fool..." Bobby choked, a quiet laugh escaping her lips. "Y... You have doomed them all..."

Josh kicked the gun away from her, staring down at her. "You killed my best friend. Perhaps you should have practiced your aim a bit more." He turned from her, looking at all the expressions of horror and shock in the audience. He paid no attention to them, not hearing the commotion as he left the museum.

Copper lowered and pocketed his gun in his holster with a sigh, watching as Bobby took her last few breaths. He looked to Booker, giving him a nod to pocket his gun, before heading over to Mystery, who was knelt down clutching his hand. There was a rush of footsteps, and the two looked up to see Laura and I approaching. "Laura knows first aid..." I explained as the girl crouched down beside Mystery.

Copper gave a nod as Laura got to work, before approaching Pete, who seemed completely shell shocked. "What do we do about Josh, sir?"

"...We're not giving him a trial, that's for sure." Pete gave a sigh, "Just... let's move on from this whole thing... I'm... really not sure what to think right now." He turned to look a Kabuki, "Well... I guess the court finds the defendant... not guilty." He slammed the mallet on the desk.


	49. Twenty Questions

E. Taylor – Thanks :)

Xblindxfirex – I'm not paying for the glass. :P Haha, yes... I like Mystery. Glad you enjoyed it so much.

Obzezzed – Main character? Hm. I suppose he did become the main character, which isn't really what I was intending from the start. Don't worry, Goldie isn't dead... yet, at least. She may be killed, maybe not. Why would I tell you? :D All the animals were in the audience at the trial, watching. Bobby is an OC, yes. Thank you.

rAwrXdiNo3 – That did sound deep, yes. xD I like that comment, sounds like a review from a newspaper or something you'd find on the back of a book. xD But hey, at least the story started off fairly cheerful! And with this chapter, we go back to a more AC-ish theme, rather than action-packed court and murder drama. And haha, Josh is unpredictable I guess. At the start of the story, he was the calm, wise guy who helped Louis fit in. And then he transformed to a hateful, revenge-seeking character by the end. Thank you!

misty-the-fox103 – You did? I didn't. I didn't intend for the killer to be Bobby, but I cahgned my mind literally while writing that chapter. :P Haha... Thank you!

emma2679 – Emmaaaa. Wait what? I don't get your comment on the poison thing. xD

H.M. ToT – Oh wow, thank you! Glad I'm your favourite. :)

The living Pen – Haha, not that I can foresee. I don't want this story to be action, really. It's a drama. :P So no big battle scenes. However, I will tell you that there is going to be more action in the way of animals for/against humans. Cause what Bobby said about them getting revenge if she was killed... well, it wasn't a bluff. :P Thanks!

**A/N aka Big Ramble: **Well, finally, we're back to a calm chapter. I'm hoping that this one had some of the feeling that the story had before the whole cave and trial stuff. Of course, I'm not regretting the storyline, but... this isn't an action story, it's meant to be a drama that focuses on characters and their histories. So anyway, Louis made a return in this chapter, long overdue. The next chapter (as in, one after this) is the last of BWIADW, as a sort of epilogue to the story. It's not going to be the type of epilogue you find in a book, but a normal chapter that rounds off the story, in a way. However, as you've probably guessed, this isn't the end of the whole humans being poison storyline. That was going to be the main plot from the very start, really. It was hinted with Bobby's introduction, giving Louis the book... and Jenny's description of Honevray, being like a soap opera, and such. However, book two won't be focussing on it until the end. I guess you could say that the climax of books one and two at least, are both focussed around the whole thing.

Cause I wanted a twist on my town life story. One of the biggest questions you get with Animal Crossing, is how on earth a human ended up living in an animal town, where no other human is, and why? I like this little twist, and I didn't want a story where it's just 'Boy moves to town, makes friends, the end'. I'm hoping I've achieved it. I know this story has been confusing, and I'm going to make a confession... Up to around chapter 40, the entire story was just... made up as it went along. All the times I've talked about character histories, what I've "planned all along" and such has been lies. I had no idea what I was going to do with the story until the ending, when I planned the whole murder and stuff. Heck, even the court trial finished completely different to my original plan. So anyway... in book two, I don't really have any ideas yet except for the very ending. I'll be continuing what I've done so far, just taking it as it comes. Usually when I don't plan things, I get lost, make mistakes and such. I probably have made quite a few contradictions in my writing of BWIADW, but not too serious... I hope.

But what I intend to do, is take a LOST type style in certain parts and really start making histories for the characters, through flashbacks and such. I also intend to write it in third person, because I can't keep the entire story focussed around Louis, and nor can I have it in first person while I'm going all over different storylines like I have in BWIADW.

So yes, here's chapter 49... chapter 50, and the closing to 'Series 1' is coming soon.

Twenty Questions

"Well, well..." Mystery commented, still sat on the museum floor as he watched Laura bandage his hand, "You're quite good at this first aid stuff. Rather fitting, really... the town police chief and healer dies... and now I'm the new police chief, and we have a new healer." The museum had quickly emptied after the incident, except for Blathers, who was hastily packing away the chairs and the tables. Bobby's body had been moved by Copper and Booker, leaving a nasty pool of blood on the once polished floor. Laura glanced up from his hand to gaze at him, offering a slight smile but saying nothing. "You don't talk much, though... doctors and such are meant to be able to make patients feel better, you know. Make them relaxed and such."

Laura gave a short laugh, "...Looks like I'm not much of a doctor, then." She sighed as she finished bandaging the hand, "...I've never heard of anyone being shot in the hand. But nice work with the trial... I would've just run. I wasn't quite expecting it to... end like that." She cast the pool of blood a disgusted look, before continuing, "Anyway... erm... well done... and all that."

Mystery gave a slight shrug, "Neither was I. But I knew it was her from the start... I just didn't know how she did it, or why... But anyway, I can't be bothered to talk about this now, shorty."

"...Shorty?" Laura gave a quizzical frown, "That's not a nickname, is it?"

"Feel honoured." Mystery chuckled, before slowly climbing to his feet. The girl beside him soon followed, seeming rather bemused. "Only two people here have a nickname. Josh has boss, and you have shorty. I mean... I suppose I could give that other kid the name Doughy or something, but that would be harsh. But yes, your nickname from now on is shorty. It doesn't quite work as well as boss does with Josh, but... I'll try and think of a new one... Hey, wait, I've got one!"

Laura gave a pained sigh, raising her eyebrows, "...Go on."

"GP! As in, what your local doctor's called!" The girl sighed deeply, face-palming, "You're the new doctor in town, and GP just works. Sure, it sounds like a guy's nickname, but... live with it. I'm starting to sound like Sawyer from LOST, now, with all the nicknames."

"...You know the TV show LOST?"

"Of course!" Mystery flashed a brief smile, before extending his non injured hand, "It's nice to meet you, GP. And I'll remind you that I'm human... you know, the whole being poison to the world thing. We're not meant to be here, so we came from somewhere else. Meaning... I came from the normal human land too, meaning I know TV shows and such. And I have a perfect little game to start off this friendship. How about it, GP?" Laura simply gave a resigned nod, keeping silent as Mystery took her arm and led her down the steps to Brewster's Cafe.

"Kabuki!" I jogged after the red and white cat, out of breath already. The animal came to a stop, turning to face me as I came to a halt beside him. "Kabuki... gah... wait."

"Yes, meooo-OH?" Kabuki gave an irritated sigh, making it clear on his face and body posture that he didn't want to be talking to me. I didn't care, I needed some answers. Kabuki was the only one that could give them. "What is it?" I looked briefly around at the several trees concealing us. The ledge to the upper section of Honevray was behind us, which was where Kabuki had been heading. I didn't bother questioning where he was going; he'd probably had the intention of skipping town. The sun had set now, and the moon was high in the sky. The sounds of strange bugs filled the area, the dim lights of Bones' house was barely visible through the thick trees. They soon switched off, meaning that the dog had probably gone to bed. A nearby bush rustled, and I watched as something hairy scuttled away into the dark. I hated night sometimes.

"What happened to you in the cave?" I questioned, moving slightly closer to my... acquaintance, to reassure myself as well as making it easier to even see the cat in the dark. Luckily, his fur was white; it wasn't too difficult a task to follow him. Kabuki flinched at the question, immediately shaking his head and turning to leave. "Wait! We all know someone blackmailed you now... we're apparently going to die, if what Bobby said about revenge was true... You almost killed me. And I understand you're not the bad guy... I mean... Josh came up with the theory that you were blackmailed with Goldie, is that true?"

Kabuki gave a resigned sigh, before gesturing with his left paw for me to follow him. Instead of heading up the ledge, he went left, in the direction of his house. I followed silently, and we walked past Bones' house, before passing through more trees. The wall of the ledge was to our right, looking rather creepy and sinister in the pale moonlight. Eventually, at the far western edge of town, I saw Kabuki's home. The large western cliff-face loomed above it, and I stared up at it as I followed the cat into his small home. He gestured to a random seat, and I sat down as Kabuki went to pour himself a glass of water, tail twitching as he did so. "I can't answer your question, meooo-OH. I don't know. Goldie and I went in, heard strange groaning... and bam, Goldie vanishes, meooo-OH. Some animal, couldn't see them, was male... he tells me that if I want Kapp'n and Goldie back, I must kill Josh, meooo-OH. Something about his part of the story being done. The world was complaining, and some other crap. Sorry for nearly killing you, meooo-OH, but... I didn't have much choice in the matter."

I gave a slow nod as I listened, leaving the conversation to fall into silence momentarily. After digesting all this information, I said, "...Why didn't you tell us?"

"Dunno, meooo-OH." Kabuki gave a light shrug, sipping the water as he watched me over the rim of the glass. It was times like these that made me remember that I live with a bunch of animals, for he looked so... much like a cat. He is one, but... after living here so long, I'd become accustomed to it and almost saw them as human. I was interrupted from the examination by Kabuki continuing to say, "Good thing I didn't, too. Cause it'd have been Bobby I would have told, meooo-OH. Turns out she was involved with the bastards that took her." I frowned slightly at his choice of words, not really used to anyone in the usual sleepy town saying such a word. I could just imagine my grandmother gasping in shock when I'd accidentally sworn when I hit my head on her low ceiling. I doubted this cat had such a grandmother...

"Er... right." I said pathetically, taking a glance around the rather dull room. It was simple. Fridge, oven, sink, TV, sofa... just the necessities. No decoration. Liveable, but not... _liveable_. I noticed Kabuki giving me an irritated stare, and I quickly continued to say, "U-Um... anyway... I was thinking... we should go investigate this. Like take a proper search of the caves, try and get her back." Kabuki's lips thinned, whiskers twitching slightly as he considered the idea. That was another thing. I kept forgetting these animals had whiskers too... moving on.

"No point, meooo-OH." The cat finally replied bluntly, causing me to frown, "You think I didn't search? The room where that freak appeared, that Goldie vanished... the one and only exit there had been sealed with rocks, meooo-OH. The stranger came from nowhere, and left with Goldie through... nowhere. If we go to the cave, meooo-OH, we will find a solid wall. And as selfish as this sounds, I just want... things to go back to normal, you know? This entire town is just all crumbling from a few dramatic events, meooo-OH. Losing Kapp'n, losing Goldie, me trying to kill Josh, Jenny being killed, being accused of murder, then the entire trial... it's just all too much, meooo-OH." I gave a sigh, understanding his reasoning. "I know... you're probably thinking... How could I abandon Goldie like this? And I get that, meooo-OH, but... I'm not some fool who goes and wastes time looking for something I won't find, meooo-OH." He broke off, before finally finishing emotionlessly, "And to be honest... she's probably not coming back, meooo-OH. Josh killed Bobby. They're angry." He shrugged, "We're doomed, meooo-OH."

"Twenty questions?" Laura questioned incredulously, "That's your game? Geez, I played that at sleepovers all the time... we always asked the most personal and embarrassing questions personally. How do you want to play?"

"Take it in turns." Mystery gave an amused smile, "I ask first... but if you answer, then I have to answer too. Then you ask, and you have to answer to... and so on. Ten questions each, but we both answer twenty. So I'll go first! Number one... How old are you?"

Laura raised her eyebrows, before taking a sip of her coffee. She waited a few seconds, sighing, before answering, "Fifteen and a half, almost. You?"

"Eighteen!" Mystery smirked, sipping his own, before adding at the end, "Nineteen in a few months." The two were sat at the bar of an otherwise empty Brewster's Cafe. The pigeon had gone on his break, but not after locking away every possible item that could be stolen. He'd even given the two humans plastic cups for their coffee so there was no way of them stealing the mugs. Slightly over the top. "I sound so old, in a bright and cheerful town full of fluffy animals... Geez. Anyway, your turn... bring on question two."

Laura gave a short laugh, blue eyes looking to the door briefly, before asking as she focussed on her fingernails, "Where are you from? As in... back... home."

"Home? This is my home, GP." Mystery replied, sounding serious. Laura rolled her eyes, and Mystery smiled, "You should call this home, too. Much easier to accept it. But... back in the world of humans, I came from Cornwall... south west England, the very tail of it. Though my accent is rather London-ish... I lived around London for most of my life, moved to Cornwall at thirteen. And it feels so strange talking about this here..." He took a look around at the cafe, "Here we are, in a cafe... the pigeon's not behind the bar, no-one else here. You could just see us sitting in a human cafe back in their world, on an ordinary day." Laura gave a sigh at this, shifting awkwardly. Mystery hesitated, "Sorry, GP. Anyway, your turn to answer."

"Tralee." The girl quickly replied, giving no answer to what else he'd said. "South-west Ireland."

"Ooh, you're Irish." Mystery grinned, tapping on the polished bar surface with his fingers as he continued, "That's what your amazing accent is. Irish accents always used to be my favourite, though I guess it doesn't matter what accent we have anymore. Anyway, moving on... Time for question three, GP." He hesitated, pulling a face as he thought, before exclaiming, "Aha! Perfect question..." Mystery gave a rather strange smirk, and asked the question. Laura raised her eyebrows, lowering the cup of coffee back to the counter, seeming rather astounded as she began thinking about how to reply.


	50. Goodbyes and Returns Author's Note

This may be a record amount of reviews.

E. Taylor - Any review is a good review. Interesting you didn't like Mystery, he seems to be popular with other readers. :P Thank you.

rAwrXdiNo3 - *HUGS* ...Yes, I love hugs. :L Thank you. I wouldn't say flawlessly, but... er... that means a lot. instertmodestyhere.

xblindxfirex - Hoh-neh-vray. xD LOST is an epic TV drama about a plane crash on some strange island... it's confusing, but epic. And Sawyer is a southerner with a really distinct accent. Poor Louis.

Obzezzed - Danger? Hm... I'd say Drama, but I don't foresee any danger as such for some time. Well, Goldie's fate is revealed in this very chapter, oddly enough. And ha, I didn't kill Jenny without hesitation. Worst thing I've ever done in a story. D: Yes, yes, there will be relationships. It's a bit difficult to do in an animal crossing fanfic, cause I'm not quite sure how to make an animal relationship... not seem creepy. And haha, Mystery's name will be revealed eventually.

too lazy to sign in - It's refreshing to have a negative review. xD I don't expect everyone to love the story, I've always wondered why there doesn't seem to be anyone who doesn't. Don't be afraid to criticise or sugarcoat anything, I accept all reviews. That is an interesting view of Josh, though. And I'm glad someone has seen that side of him, cause that is the kind of character I tried to make him appear like, as well as the nice, friendly guy that everyone likes. He's kind of two faced, so yay for you seeing that. Although I appreciate your honesty, I'm not going to change my writing or story to please one reviewer. I write for fun, pleasing people is just something I aim for. I will stick to my plans regardless of what people reading think. But please keep being honest, and suggesting changes, because I may still include/change what you suggest if I think it works. And BWIADW stands for but what if animals did walk.

bomrocks23 - Thank you. The answer to one of those questions is in this. And awesome, I finish next week. :P

emma2679 - Thanks. And irish ftw.

noname - Will all be explained eventually.

Alana - Good... i think. xD

noname2 - Not sure if you're the same person as above two, but yeah. It's Bobby, not Bob. ;\

The living pen - Uhh, that's one thing I need to work out. Let's just say it's December, right now. Thanks :)

o-CrystalSakura-o - haha, really not sure whether to take that as a compliment or criticism from you. :P 2nd review - I'm glad you like Kabuki, he's probably my favourite character at the moment. I can't guarantee any amount of length for this fanfic, but my current intention is for there to be more after book 2. This story will basically keep going until one of the following happens... I run out of ideas, I get bored, people stop reading or I die. :L If the latter, hopefully that'll be when I'm old... it'd be rather interesting if this story was still going in 70-80 years time...

misty-the-fox103 - Thanks. :) And haha, you know what I'm like with keeping secrets... in answer to Mystery's question, I mean. And of course! I quite like writing romance, even if it does suck when I write it. As for whether there'll be a Mystura romance... again, I keep secrets.

galeforcewinds12 - Poor cow. Thanks! Who's your sister, or is she a silent reader? Love getting new reviewers, anyhow. o3o And don't worry about rambling, I like the rambling reviews more than the three or four word ones. :P

That was an insane amount of reviews, definitely a record I think. It's a shame that I have to start a new fanfic now, rather than seeing how many reviews I can get for this thing. And so... I present, the final chapter of BWIADW. It's a heart-breaking moment. Enjoy.

Goodbyes and Returns

"How do you know about that?" Laura asked sharply, suddenly appearing very serious, "That was... five years ago. You're not going to tell me we've met before, are you?"

"Nonsense." Mystery chuckled, eyes glinting slightly, "Now that would just be impossible... But you haven't given me an answer, GP. Do you accept defeat, or will you answer?" Laura opened her mouth to reply, before closing it again, looking at him oddly. The cafe was still empty, leaving them free to talk about whatever they wanted for a while longer.

"No, you're going to explain." Laura retorted stubbornly, watching him, "If you don't know me, how could you possibly know about him?"

Mystery chuckled slightly, shaking his head, "What if I knew _him_?" Laura's eyes narrowed, and Mystery gave a slight smile, "Just a theory, of course... Again, that would be impossible, right? Anyway, let's continue our game, shall we?" Before anything else could happen, footsteps echoed from the stairway. Mystery and Laura looked to the entrance as Portia entered, looking emotionless as always. Laura's eyes widened.

"...Oh." Portia stiffened as she stared at Laura, "It's you, ruffian." She remained still by the entrance, before turning to leave again.

"P-Portia, wait!" Laura cried, jumping to her feet and jogging towards the young dog. Mystery remained where he was sat, watching the encounter silently. Portia turned again to look at Laura, saying nothing as she approached. Laura hesitated, before saying, "I'm... I'm sorry."

Portia blinked once, but otherwise seemed unaffected by the apology. "For what, ruffian?"

Laura frowned anxiously, "For the fossil... I thought I was in a dream. I wanted some way to wake myself up." She broke off, tears bubbling up in her eyes, "I never meant to hurt you... Please. Forgive me."

Portia gave a small smile, "You don't need to lie to me, ruffian. You know as well as I do that you didn't break the exhibit." Laura seemed genuinely confused. "You had nothing to do with it. You didn't even touch it."

"Wha..." Laura gasped quietly. The smile had faded from Portia's face, replaced with sadness and... guilt? "P-Portia... what are you talking about? Everyone blamed me..." Portia shook her head once, but still didn't reply. Laura frowned again, "B-But... if it wasn't me, then who...? How do you even know?" The Dalmatian gave a sigh, and it suddenly clicked. "Y-You? But... why would you... huh?"

"...What is the point, ruffian?" Portia questioned rhetorically, approaching a painting on the wall, the same one as she had stared at all that time ago on the Friday night. Laura followed her, staring up at the two Dalmatians in the painting. "What is the point of trying to be as good as my parents? The point of trying to be good as someone I can't... The fossil was the one thing that tied me to my parents, ruffian, and I sabotaged it. You were just there at the wrong time." She glanced casually over her shoulder at the girl, waiting for a reaction. Laura remained speechless for a while, before eventually asking in a whisper:

"...But why did you sabotage something that meant so much to you?"

Portia smiled thinly, "Because it was time to put the past behind me, ruffian. The one thing keeping me here gone... meaning I have no reason to stay. I just hadn't found the right time to leave with everything that happened, ruffian. I came here to say goodbye to Brewster."

"...B-But why do you have to leave?"

Portia sighed, "Too many bad memories here. I need to find my parents, ruffian. I've never been great with goodbyes... so... Goodbye, I guess, ruffian." She offered an awkward smile to Mystery, who gave a nod back, before hurriedly leaving the cafe. Laura looked to the boy at the counter, before sighing.

* * *

"You know, it was a year ago today I moved in." I commented to the group around me. We were still inside Kabuki's house, but had somehow managed to collect half the town. Bob, Cube, Bones, Static, Wolfgang, Mitzi and Dora had ended up sitting around. Kabuki didn't look too happy about the crowd.

Static was first to reply, "...Happy towniversary, krzzt."

"You should have bought a cake, d-d-dude." Cube commented lazily from beside the fridge, helping himself to a chocolate muffin.

"We should actually throw a party, yip yip!" Bones exclaimed excitedly, hopping to his feet, "This town's been so depressing lately; we should just throw a party. Food, music, friends. Bring back the Honevray spirit, yip yip!" I raised my eyebrows with amusement, but my friend seemed determined. "You've become a key member of our community, Louis... and you saved my life... What's happened in the last year? Drama, fights and tragedy. Kapp'n and Goldie have gone, Jenny's dead, Bobby turned out to be some villain, yip yip... We need a party."

"Wuh 'e sai'." Cube mumbled through a mouthful.

"I agree, mew." Mitzi smiled from beside me, squeezing my hand, "Louis has done a lot for us."

"Bah." Everyone looked to the door as Tank and Roal entered, "All that loser's done is create those dramas, ker-POW!"

"Outta my house, meooo-OH!" Kabuki snapped, rising to his feet.

"Leave, snarrrl." Wolfgang murmured, going to join Kabuki alongside Static.

"Ohohoho..." Tank chuckled, shaking his head, "Relax, ker-POW! I'm just telling the truth. Before that fat kid, that dorky girl, and the one who thought she was in a dream came along, we were fine. The only decent humans are Josh and that Mystery, ker-POW! You? You're the one to blame for everything."

Kabuki rolled his eyes, "Riiiiight, meooo-OH. Is he also to blame for that pathetic excuse of a fight you gave us? Get over yourself."

"Calm down, b-b-buddy." Roald intervened with a laugh, "We're just here to pass on a message. Portia's leaving, so rather than throwing the kid a party, maybe you should all head along to say goodbye. See ya, b-b-buddy." Roald gave a sarcastic wave of his wing, before leaving the house with Tank.

"...Guess we should say goodbye then, yip yip." Bones broke the silence unhappily. I sighed.

* * *

"...Well, goodbye I guess." I murmured, looking at the Dalmatian in front of me, "But I still don't think you should leave." Practically everyone, excluding Purrl, was stood inside the town gates, ready to say goodbye to Portia. She gave me a slight smile.

"I'm afraid that's not enough to stop me, ruffian." She replied softly, "But thanks anyway."

"Take care of yourself." Josh murmured with even less enthusiasm than Portia usually showed. He hugged her gently and briefly, before pulling away, "Honevray will always be your home if you want it to be. Good luck, wherever you go."

Portia smiled, "Thank you, ruffian. You've been kind to me ever since I arrived, and I really appreciate it. Take care of yourself, too... and don't go killing anyone else, never thought you of all people would do that." Josh chuckled darkly. Portia gave another smile, before moving past him.

"Aww, bye-bye Portia, silly!" Rosie exclaimed, hugging the dog tightly. Portia returned it with a small laugh. "Don't you dare get in trouble! And keep digging, silly. You're like... the smartest animal I know!" Portia continued through the crowd, giving hugs to residents such as Blathers, Bones, Mitzi, Dora and Bob. She then looked behind her as the gates opened, pulled by Copper and Booker. I shivered slightly as I watched the yellow bus enter, pulling to a stop in front of the waiting crowd.

"Well, ruffian..." She lifted up her suitcases, offering a smile to everyone, "Thank you all for the good times... I will miss you all. Expect letters from my new town." She bowed her head, before turning to enter the bus. She took a step onto it, before looking over her shoulder one final time to give us all a last, fond smile. The door hissed, and she disappeared from view as the doors slid shut with a hiss behind her. Several residents called out goodbyes as the bus turned to leave. We all waved, and soon a black-spotted, furry paw stuck out the window, waving back. The bus began to drive away as we continued our goodbyes, before the yellow bus disappeared from view.

"Close the gates!" Copper ordered, and the two guards turned to push them shut.

"Wait!" Mystery exclaimed, and gasps came from the crowd as he pointed to someone approaching the town. Her fur was tatty, her clothes torn, and she looked exhausted. The Labrador stumbled into the town, wide-eyed and weak.

"...H-Help..." Kabuki darted forward, catching Goldie as she collapsed...

END OF BOOK ONE!

* * *

A/NAnd that's the end of 'But what if animals did walk?'... Not quite sure what to say now. I was never expecting this to be as popular as it is... It's been going eighteen months, fifty chapters, near 80,000 words. I still don't know where I'm going with the sequel. I can't plan this story, I need to improvise or I'll never get anywhere. Thank you everyone who has read, followed, favourited, reviewed or even glanced at my fanfic.

I know this is just an Animal Crossing fanfic, that if I'm honest, is over-rated. It's something I write as a hobby, because I enjoy creating characters, plot etc. It does mean a lot that people say BWIADW is their favourite story, but there are so many fanfics around here that are better, that you should go and check out. I'm so pessimistic. But anyway... erm... the sequel. I have a few rough ideas, because obviously you're all expecting a follow-up of Bobby's death and the whole humans are poison plot. I'm not sure if that'll be wrapped up in book two, or if it'll go into 3... But all I know is that I'm going to try and make the sequel less action-oriented.

Of course, this fanfic is a drama, so plenty of plot-twists still to come. But now we've had the "introduction", it's time to start exploring the characters. BWIADW had Kabuki and Portia as the main animal characters, but still, we don't know who they are. So book two's going to start looking at their histories, actual characters and such. Might be an idea to actually get a timeframe as well... Cause I have no idea what month it is in the story. Supposedly December, seeing as Louis has been there a year.

So yeah... this is the end of BWIADW, and book two will be out... soon. But my focus right now is to finish my Pokemon fanfic (profile to read), so you may be waiting a while. I won't let this die, of course. So keep me on alert, and look out for the sequel... still no idea what it'll be called. And so I say goodbye, for now. I hope you all add me to author alert or something so you know when I post the new story... I have no idea why I feel sad writing this. :P But I love you all! You'll see the next story soon, and I'll reply to all your reviews in the start of that, so please review this. o3o Farewell!


	51. The Sequel

Hi everyone that's still got this on their follow list. As you've probably noticed, I've deleted the sequel.

I think it's kinda obvious I'm not happy with the original version of that story. And by the lack of reviews, it's clear you aren't either. I'm not sure exactly what happened to my writing, whether it's just the length between updates that killed it or I've lost my touch. Either way, the way BWITKYT was going was terrible. One of the problems was that every chapter seemed disjointed and a separate thing, rather than a flowing story. I also don't like the whole flashback thing any more, they were terrible.

It would be so easy to just forget the sequel completely and leave it with just this story, it'd kinda put everything in a more positive light. But I said at the start it's a never-ending story, and you all expected more from me, and I still want to give you it. Plus I love this story and characters so much, I feel like BWIADW was the only good story I've ever written. Maybe I'm just vain, but when I was writing it, it felt like the characters existed and such, haha. And having over 60 people have this story on their favourites (unfortunately only 34 have this on follow so the other half of people won't even see this) is such an awesome achievement for me. Not to mention over 200 reviews, I still can't believe that to this day.

I don't know how many of you (if anyone) misses this story, but I'm going to keep trying to continue with it. I've already got the first 5 chapters ready to post, I did them 2 months ago but I've been debating on whether to post it or just give up. But yeah, I'm going to repost it. So I just wanted to let you all know, so if you haven't got me on author alert, I'll be making the sequel again today.

Hope to see you reading it again and reviewing.

Computerfan


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